Better With Two
by Laura x Tennant
Summary: Collection of Ten/Rose oneshots :D  x
1. All Her Fault

**A/N: Hellooo :D Right, this is what this fic is going to be about:**

**Basically, I'm going to have each chapter be a different Ten/Rose oneshot, probably all fluff and romance lol. But they'll all be unrelated to each other, and some longer than others. So, this chapter is called 'All Her Fault' and the next one will be a different storyline not related to this one, and so on. So, I hope you enjoy! Laura x**

**...**

**All Her Fault**

"Baby it's cold...out...side!" the Doctor sang joyfully as he lay beneath the console repairing a few wires. "La la, la la la..." he continued nonsensically. And then he noticed them. Her feet. Right by his head. Ah. Oh dear.

"Really, Doctor?" Rose said, failing to keep the amusement out of her voice. "Should I wrap up warm, then?"

He slid himself out and stood up, folding his arms and trying to look dignified. "I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about."

"You were singing," she pointed out.

"No I wasn't," he denied.

"Um, yes you was," she retorted.

"Wasn't."

"Was."

"Wasn't!" he insisted, unfolding his arms and turning from her to fiddle with the console screen.

"Don't feel _embarrassed_, Doctor,"she began, to which the Doctor rolled his eyes. "You have a lovely voice."

His expression brightened considerably, and he turned to face her again. "Really?" he asked hopefully. He scowled at her when she burst out laughing. "Hmph," he huffed, and sat down on the jumpseat with an exaggerated sigh.

Once Rose had recovered from her hysterical laughing fit, she smiled warmly at him. "Doctor?"

"What?" he sighed.

"That's not the first time I've heard you sing," she said casually, sitting down beside him. Reflexively, he put his arm around her shoulders. Then, upon realising he was supposed to be in a strop with her, he dropped his arm. She noticed this, and laughed internally at his childishness.

"Really," he stated. He didn't want her to elaborate.

"Yep!" she cried cheerfully. "You sing to yourself all the time, when you're in here and you think I'm asleep. And don't give me that look: I told you, you have a nice voice."

"I thought you were being sarcastic. What with the bursting into giggles thing."

"No, I meant it. It was just...your face though, you looked so chuffed," she said, laughter bubbling up again. She softly stroked his cheek, then frowned at her hand when she realised what she was doing. She let it fall to rest between them, like his arm had done.

He profusely ignored this even happened. If he didn't, he feared he would pick her hand back up and put it to his cheek again. Which would've been a bit weird. Hence, he ignored it. Well. _Pretended_ to ignore it. Yes, that would be more accurate.

She cleared her throat. "Anyway...I like it. It's nice. You always sound so relaxed. So...happy," she continued softly.

He smiled at that. "I am happy," he replied, nudging her shoulder with his. She beamed up at him and twisted to lie down. He pulled her legs up to rest on his lap, and she was about to say something when he decided to tease her a little. "And I've heard you sing, too. A lot."

Her eyes widened. "Eh?" she said.

He linked their hands together and rested them on her thigh. "You sing in the shower," he shrugged nonchalantly.

"No I don't," she lied.

"Yes you do."

"No I don't."

"Yes, you really do."

"No I - " she paused then, a thought occurring to her. "- hang on, how do _you _know?"

He waggled his eyebrows. "I know everything."

"What do you do, lurk outside my bathroom or something?"

He grinned at her. "Would I do that?" he asked her, mock-affronted.

"Dunno. It's hard to tell with you. You're a bit weird."

The Doctor took this as a compliment. "Thanks!" he replied joyfully.

"And I don't think you really get the concept of personal space," she continued.

He laughed. "You're the one always hugging me, Rose Tyler."

She raised an eyebrow. "Firstly, you always hug me first. Or sometimes at the same time. But anyway, you love it, so you can't pin that on me," she told him, and as he heard her words he thought about how alarmingly true they were. He frowned in confusion. That wasn't supposed to happen. But it was a fact of life; hugging Rose several times a day, every day, was almost a necessity for him. In fact it was.

How odd...

"Secondly, you're the one stroking my knee right now," she pointed out next, her eyes alight with mischief. He blinked at her for a second or two, then looked down at his hand that wasn't intertwined with Rose's, and abruptly stopped it's motions. He swallowed thickly.

"Yeah. Well. Hmph," he mumbled. That wasn't supposed to happen either. Since when did he...caress his companion's knee? That was a new one.

(Just for Rose.

Not that she was special or anything.

Ok. Fine. Of course she was. Ok. But it didn't mean anything.

It didn't.

It did.

But she obviously found it odd, so he would stop.

Yes. Yes he would.)

"I don't mind, though," Rose added hastily, fearing she'd just ended all prospects of the Doctor's Displays of Affection.

(No. No he would not.

She liked it. He shall continue to touch her.

Ok. That last sentence sounded decidedly wrong. But never mind.

Fact of life.)

The corners of his mouth twitched upwards in amusement. "No?" She shook her head. "Ah, well that's alright then," he claimed, and his hand on her knee went back to its previous activity.

She bit her lip to stop herself from making a really embarrassing half-sigh, half-moan sound in contentment. She really did love it when he did stuff like this. It was almost like they were...well, like they were...no.

(A couple.

No. No, of course not.)

"All this, though...all this domestic-y stuff and hugging and hand-holding and um...knee...stroking," he paused. That sentence was a bit dodgy. But anyway, it got his point across really. And she was blushing quite adorably. He cleared his throat. "Anyway, it's your fault," he told her.

She smiled bemusedly. "Oh yeah?"

"Yep." He sighed dramatically, and appeared to contemplate something, a frown deepening on his features. "Yes, it's all your fault," he concluded.

Rose stopped smiling and frowned then. She sat up, averting her eyes from his and tugging his sleeve nervously. "What is?" she asked tentatively.

The Doctor let go of her hand and shifted so that he was facing her, her legs still sprawled across his lap; now she was basically sitting on him. He gently lifted her chin up so that he could meet her eyes. "I think you know," he murmured quietly.

Once she was looking at him properly, she couldn't tear her gaze away. He was staring into her eyes intensely, his hand leaving her chin to twirl a strand of her blonde hair, that had slipped loose from her ponytail, in his fingers.

She reached for his other hand, and placed it on her thigh. If he was surprised at her bold movement, he didn't show it. He just kept his gaze levelled with hers.

With a little more confidence, she took his hand in hers again, and moved it to her waist. He didn't even flinch. Just kept on staring.

She wasn't sure whether she should dare moving his hand elsewhere. So she left it at her waist, lifting her own hand to stroke his cheek again. "Doctor?" she prompted softly.

"It's all your fault," he repeated, softer still, seemingly reflecting on the words himself, as if he was in awe of them.

"What is?" she asked again, leaning closer to him, her eyes imploring his for answers. Then, she draws in a startled breath as he closes the gap between them to place a soft kiss to her jaw line.

"You..." He paused, and swallowed nervously. "You made me fall in love with you," he finally whispered against her neck. As she didn't pull away from his touch, he took it as a good sign and grew bolder, slipping the sleeve of her jacket down off her shoulder to press a kiss there through the thin layer of her t-shirt.

Rose went very still. "You've...you've...huh? Wh – what? Woah, you've..." she spluttered in shock. "Um..."

He smiled softly and nuzzles his nose against the point where her neck and shoulder met. "Yes," he murmured.

Rose let out a small laugh, the disbelief of it making her slightly delirious. Well. Ok. Maybe more than _slightly_ delirious. She was positively beaming.

(This was all very couple-y. She kind of loved it. A lot.)

"Rose?" he murmured, bringing his head up near her ear, so that their cheeks brushed closely together.

She shivered and answered, "Yeah?"

He didn't answer.

His silent response was expressive. And Rose understood.

"Ohhh," she muttered, realisation dawning. She pulled back a little, turning his head to look at him properly. "I love you, too."

His next response was equally effective.

His lips descended on hers in one quick moment, and she felt him smile. And that was enough to give her a billion more butterflies and several thousand more ideas.

...

_Later. Much, much later..._

Rose thought...well.

He could pin the blame on her for making him fall in love with her, but quite frankly my dears, she didn't give a damn. Because _that _was truly spectacular, and she wanted to do it again. Which, she reflected, is quite possibly down to his rather wondrous talents.

And consequently, her desire for more was all _his _fault.


	2. Superior Senses

**A/N: Ten and Rose oneshot, obvs. The Doctor reveals something interesting D x**

**...**

**Superior Senses**

Rose is lounging on the captain's chair reading a magazine when it happens.

She's flicking through, spending about ten seconds skimming each page, not really reading the words so much as she is simply pretending to. She's trying to look disinterested in what the Doctor is currently doing. She isn't. But she can't look at him, or he'll work that out.

(He's sitting on the floor surrounded by technological stuff, fixing the TARDIS. Nothing new there. Except today, he isn't wearing his jacket. He's just in his shirt, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, tools and oil in and on his hands. Glasses perched on the end of his nose. Hair standing up every which way, looking even more ruffable than usual.

Rose isn't sure why this sight affects her so much.

But he is very sexy.

Hence, the magazine is a nice distraction.)

Lost in her thoughts, she doesn't realise the Doctor is kneeling behind her, peering over her shoulder. Therefore, she jumps rather spectacularly when he speaks.

"Are human men really that oblivious?" he asks her, his nose wrinkling and brow crinkling in confusion.

After her little jump about five feet in the air, she mumbles an exasperated, "What?"

"That article you're reading. Do men really not have a clue?" he asks innocently.

She looks down at the page she hadn't been reading, and sees what he's going on about.

She's a bit mortified.

She blushes. "Um..." she replies, not really sure how to answer that question.

To her horror, he takes the magazine out of her hands and starts to read the article avidly, his expression shifting from confusion to distaste in a moment. "What?" he mutters to himself.

Rose swallows thickly, and tries to snatch the magazine back. But he jumps out of her way, and starts pacing around the console with it, dodging past her every time she leaps to take it off him.

"What?" he mutters again. "That's _easy._"

Rose isn't sure what he's referring to but she's very sure she doesn't want to know.

(She is a liar. Of course she wants to know.)

"I really don't understand why you humans don't even understand each other," he says distractedly.

Rose huffs and puffs. "Doctor. Give it back."

"No, no...this is interesting."

"Interesting?"

"Mmhmm."

"Why?"

"Weeelll, it makes me realise exactly how good I am," he tells her, grinning cockily.

"Oh. I thought you were reading it to try and get some tips or something," she teases, a small smile creeping onto her face.

"Oh no, I have the moves - "

" – but you wouldn't want to boast? Yeah. You told me that already," she says. A little irritably, she realises, but seriously, she's been waiting for a good year and a bit now for him to actually _show _her those moves. Not that he ever will, she knows that. It's still frustrating.

"So I did..." He appears to consider that for a second. She's unaware what he's thinking. Which is probably a good thing. Because he's thinking something along the lines of: 'Why don't I show her?' Which is wrong and highly inappropriate.

He clears his throat and looks back at the article.

"So, now you've had your ego boosted, can I have it back?" she asks him, tugging his arm.

"Why are you even reading this?" he asks, before cursing his own voice for sounding so tetchy about it.

"I dunno, it's just an article," she pauses thoughtfully. "Hang on, what? You get to censor my reading material or something?"

He tugs his ear with his free hand. "Nooo, I was just...wondering why you'd...need..."

"...Why I'd need to read it?"

He nods, barely. He shifts and looks down at the console so that she can't see his face and the gentle blush that's most definitely _not_ sweeping over his cheeks. Because Time Lords don't blush. Not for anyone. Certainly not for Rose.

(Liar.)

"I don't need to. Where would I get the opportunity for that sort of thing when I'm in here with you all the time?" she says, giggling lightly. His head snaps up at that, and she's surprised at the strange Look he gives her. She's not sure what that Look means; she's never seen it before. But it deserves a capital letter. Nevertheless, she takes this opportunity with the Doctor being baffled and motionless; she steps closer to him and takes the magazine out of his hands.

He narrows his eyes at her actions, then folds his arms and leans back against the console. In a way that he hopes appears casual.

"What exactly were you even talking about, anyway?" Rose mutters, scanning the page.

He grins mischievously. "Wouldn't you like to know..."

Rose is ignoring that. Really ignoring it.

Well. She would be. If he wasn't stepping towards her right now.

He still has his arms crossed, and he's watching her intently, a gentle frown upon his face as if he is contemplating something.

"Doctor?" Rose murmurs tentatively.

"Huh? Right. Yes?" he replies, a smile covering his face. The frown has gone. He's obviously decided what to say or something.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Humans."

"Humans?"

"Yeah. Humans," he repeats, walking past her and sitting on the captain's chair.

"Anything I can help you with?" she asks harmlessly.

He raises an eyebrow. "Weeelll," he murmurs.

Rose sits down next to him and crosses her legs, the magazine in her lap.

"Why," he begins, motioning to the magazine, "Does half your species not understand what the other half wants? Come to think of it, why do people feel the need to make articles directed at women, talking about what women want themselves? Don't _you_ even know?"

"When you say 'you' - " she starts, worried he's going to try and get her to tell him exactly what she likes or something. That would be a really awkward conversation to have with her best friend. Who's an alien.

(Who she fancies the pants off of. And perhaps loves.)

"– I mean women in general. Not you personally. Weeelll, I suppose you as...no. No, I mean just generally," he clarifies finally. He rests his arm on the back of the chair, unintentionally brushing Rose's arm as he did so.

She feels a shiver run down her back and she tries to concentrate on what he's saying. "I...I have no idea. I suppose...well. I dunno. Maybe humans are just a bit rubbish," she suggests.

He nods. "Goes without saying," he deadpans.

"Oi!" she cries, poking him in the chest in indignation.

He grins at her wolfishly. "Time Lords aren't," he says casually.

She gulps. "Aren't what?"

"Aren't 'a bit rubbish.' Superior Time Lord senses, I've got." He glances down at her magazine again. "I'd be able to find your erogenous zones without even looking at you, let alone reading that," he tells her, before he's had a chance to check the words.

Her eyes widen and she stares at him in shock, disbelieving whether she heard him correctly or not.

He notices her looking at him oddly. He replays that last sentence back in his head and realises how it sounds.

"Not that I plan on...um...finding...them," he hastens to add.

She raises her eyebrows.

"Sorry, that sentence got away from me somewhat. Um, what I mean is - "

" – really?" she murmurs, interrupting him.

"Huh?" He swallows visibly.

"Really?" she repeats.

"Really what? That I would be able to or that I don't plan to?"

She shrugs. "Either. Both."

"Yes. And...no," he replies honestly, and she nods. Then she realises what he just admitted and gasps in shock.

Did he...

Does he...

Are they...

Would he...

Will they...

...huh?

"Wh – you – wha - huh?" Rose vocalises her thoughts.

He gives her a small smile. "Stand up," he instructs.

She does as she's told. She likes the sound of this new development.

He stands up in front of her and takes his tie off.

She just looks at him as he holds it out to her expectantly, unsure of what he's asking her to do. "Tie it around my eyes," he elaborates.

She purses her lips to stop herself letting out a delighted giggle. It looks like he's really going to prove this to her.

She can't wait.

"Ok," she replies, shrugging, trying to appear indifferent to his request.

She ties his tie around his head and gives one last, long look into his eyes before she pulls it down to cover them.

As she makes to move her hands away, he reaches up and takes her wrists in his strong grasp. Her breath hitches and she wonders, not for the first time, whether he'd actually need to bother finding her erogenous zones.

(She thinks her whole body might just be one great big one, when _he's_ touching her.)

The pads of his thumbs lightly caress just where her palm meets her wrist. Then, slowly, slowly, he lets go of her wrists and runs his hands up both her arms, a feather-light touch that gives her shivers. He continues his journey up her arms until he meets her shoulders, which are conveniently bare bar the tiny straps of her vest top. Then, quite swiftly, he uses his grasp on her shoulders as leverage to swing her around. She gasps quietly, but trusts him effortlessly, so she lets him continue.

His hands trail a path down her back, dancing across her spine. He stops when he reaches her lower back, and leaves one hand resting softly on her hip, while he lets his other return to her shoulder. He surprises her (again) by pulling her backwards, so that her back is pressed against his front. His hand moves from her shoulder to sweep some of her hair out of his way, and he lets out a shaky breath that he hadn't known he'd been holding. It flutters against her neck and her knees almost buckle in response.

He leans down a little closer to her ear and blows against it softly, making her shudder in anticipation.

Then he does something she thinks that maybe, just maybe, he's wanted to do since he's regenerated.

He lets his tongue trace a path up her neck to her ear, and then gently catches the lobe between his teeth.

Her knees do buckle then, and he has to clutch at her waist to hold her upright.

"Are you..." Rose begins to croak out shakily, "Is this just...an experiment? Are you just," she pauses as he teases her ear some more, eliciting a moan from her mouth. She clears her throat. "Are you just doing this to prove something? What does this..." she trails off when the Doctor leans down further to run his mouth along her jaw line in open mouthed kisses. His arm tightens around her waist to keep her firm against his body rather than let her fall over.

He drops his head then, and kisses her shoulder, then the back of her neck, then her other shoulder, and his hair tickles her as he moves his way across. "Doctor..." she murmurs softly, and he nuzzles her other ear in response.

Abruptly, he spins her around to face him. She's still pressed up close, and she wishes he isn't wearing that blindfold because she really wants to see his eyes right now. She wants to know what's going on.

Her quick, heavy breathing flutters against his chin, and it's only a moment before he leans his head forward again. Instead of capturing her lips as he intends, he misjudges a little and actually ends up kissing her nose. But that's okay. He can work his way down. But first, he makes an accurate attempt at kissing one temple, then the other, then her cheek, then the corner of her mouth, and then he can feel her pulling on his shirt with one hand, her other turning his head slightly, before aligning their mouths perfectly. And then he kisses her.

His hands trail down her sides, her back, her stomach, wandering anywhere and everywhere that is Rose. She parts her lips and for the first time, they are kissing properly. No vortex, no Cassandra, just them. Kissing. _Kissing._ And oh, it's really brilliant. Really quite magical. Rose feels like she's dreaming. Dreaming a really, _really _good dream.

"Rose?" he murmurs.

She moans into his mouth and thrusts her hands into his hair wildly. This is amazing...

"Rose?" he says again, clicking his fingers in front of her face.

"Huh?" she replies, smiling widely. Then her eyes refocus and her face drops.

_Dreaming._ Daydreaming. Right. Huh. Great. Just great. Damn her overactive, fantastically imaginative imagination.

Well. The Doctor would never really have done all that, would he? She's just being silly. Hopeful. Naive. Very silly. He's the Doctor. He doesn't do things like that.

(She can't believe that she let an imaginary scene affect her so much, though. Woah. It had felt so real. She's getting good at this. He hadn't even touched her, either. She'll have to go back and finish that scene off in her mind later on.)

_Any_way...

Where were they? Which was the bit where she started hallucinating?

"Rose?" he repeats. Again.

She clears her throat. "Um...right. Yeah, sorry. Zoned out for a sec there. You were saying?"

"Weeeellll," he begins. Best not remind her that he just made a right fool of himself by talking about finding her erogenous zones without even looking at her. Which, as he said, he doesn't plan on finding. Ever. Ever. Unless...no. _Never. _Right. Glad that's sorted. "I was just saying that human men must be stupid, and as you say, rubbish, if they can't work out what their women want," he says instead.

Great. So they are still on _this _conversation. That's not going to help her calm down, is it? Why is it that he insists talking about things like this? Does he not realise what he does to her?

"I mean, come on. It's not exactly _hard_," he continues, and Rose groans in annoyance. He doesn't notice. "All you have to do is - "

" – you're saying this like you're talking from experience. You have sex with many of your human companions, then?" she asks bluntly, and then she curses herself internally for sounding so obviously jealous at that prospect.

He frowns then, and looks at her. "No. I'm just talking theoretically," he explains, implying that that is obvious. Because why would she think that?

"Right. So you've never actually tested the...theory...out then?" she asks him dubiously.

"Of course I haven't," he says, watching her carefully. She looks as though she doesn't believe him. Honestly, who does she think he is? Time Lords don't do that sort of thing.

Weeelll. Not usually. But...Rose...Rose is...

No. No. _Nooo. _No use going there with his trail of thought.

She stares at him, and he doesn't know what to make of her expression. So he does what he does best.

He rambles, "What I'm trying to say, is..." on and on he goes, and Rose just looks at him, biting her lip, trying to will those images of him and his...tongue...and that kiss and everything else out of her mind.

He carries on hypothesising for ages, sharing his musings and conclusions with Rose along the way. He's not sure why, though. He's not sure why he's even pursuing this conversation. Why is he discussing this again? Is he trying to prove something? Is he trying to make her...wonder? Is he trying to get her to see that he isn't as completely oblivious to her and her...well, just everything about her...as she thinks? Is he trying to show her that even if he isn't human, he can be like one, only better? Is he trying to push things in that direction; the direction which he has consciously avoided for so long because of who they are, and what they mean to each other?

These things, he does not know. And yet, he rambles on.

"...So anyway, my theoretical conclusion is, it's easy. If you fancy someone, or if you..." he pauses, and averts his eyes from hers for a moment. "Weeelll, if you love someone, surely you'd just know? Instinctively?"

She swallows thickly. "Um..." she replies, speaking for the first time in a while. "It should be, I suppose. Yeah. But it isn't - at least, it hasn't been in my experience. I mean, Jimmy and Mickey both fancied me, and loved me – well, Mickey did - but..." she trails off.

The Doctor meets her eyes again, a frown firmly on his face. Not because of her mentioning Jimmy and Mickey. Not at all. He's not remotely jealous or anything. Of course not.

(Liar.)

"...but then again," Rose starts, and it's her who's thinking now. "Maybe it's only...you know, how you expect from films and stuff, all magical and fairytale-like; maybe it's only ever like that with one person. The Person. The One," she pauses when she sees him narrow his eyes. "Or not..." she adds quickly, embarrassed.

"No, no," he insists, not wanting her to think he's disagreeing with her. "I think you have a point. Because there's someone for everyone, right? And maybe Jimmy and Mickey weren't that someone. For you."

"Maybe." She gulps, and prays he doesn't notice.

He notices. He always does. He's got superior Time Lord senses after all.

He gulps too.

"And I suppose..." he starts to say, then hesitates.

"I used to think I knew what being in love felt like," she says suddenly, stopping him from continuing anyway.

He watches her closely, and prompts her when she doesn't continue. "Yeah?"

"Yeah. But I didn't...I mean, I'm sure at the time it felt that way, but looking back, I know that it wasn't anywhere near," she tells him. Without either really noticing, they had shuffled closer together at some point, and he's looking at her so intensely now that she flushes a little, and stands up to put some space between them. She walks over to the console and mindlessly fiddles with a button, one that she knows won't do any harm (it's just the radio, which he broke last week) but she fiddles away to give her something to concentrate on.

"How do you know?" he asks her. She doesn't reply. "Rose?"

No answer. He gets up then, and walks up behind her. She turns and is startled to find him standing so close to her; he's effectively trapping her between the edge of the console and himself, barely a couple of inches between their bodies. She shivers involuntarily, and looks away from his eyes, concentrating on the wall behind him.

"Rose?" he murmurs. In his oh-so-sexy-yet-completely-oblivious-to-the-fact way.

She purposefully ignores this.

Then a thought occurs to him. "Rose, what were you thinking about earlier? When you zoned out for half an age?"

She can't hide the fact that her cheeks are turning a rather intense shade of pink at that. But she still doesn't answer.

"Rose?" he repeats. A small smile is taking over his mouth as he watches her blush, and he's even more intrigued. "Rose?" he says yet again.

She can't take it anymore. She looks at him then; it would've been in the eye, but she's too distracted by his lips, so she settles for there instead. "This," she murmurs quietly, and proceeds to take his hands in hers and place one on her hip, the other on her back, before using her own hands to pull him forward by his jacket lapels and kiss him profoundly.

His eyes widen in surprise.

(But really, should he be so surprised? He's wanted to do this all evening, and he's been hoping for her to make the first move. He's rubbish at that bit, you see. But this bit, the participating bit...he's rather excellent at this. Let's be honest.)

He responds to her kiss unreservedly, and she can't believe it. She's been convinced this whole time that he'll pull away, make some excuses, then _run _away. But he isn't. He's kissing her back. Passionately.

And _god_ is she glad he hasn't removed his hands. Quite the contrary, in fact. The one on her hip pushes her back roughly, so that she is now very much trapped between the console and him. It's delightful. And his hand on her back has pushed past the hem of her top and is now tracing delicious patterns on her skin.

She can't breathe.

He pulls back to let her inhale some oxygen, panting softly himself. "Rose, do you often have...thoughts like that?" he asks her teasingly, catching his breath.

She blushes and bites her lip thoughtfully. "Maybe..." she murmurs.

"That's a bit naughty," he replies.

"Mmm. But you love it," she retorts.

"So I do," he agrees.

"You know that I...I...sort of...I...oh god..." she stutters. "I... I love you."

"I love you too," he murmurs quietly, unable to stop the words falling from his lips in response to Rose's own admission.

Her mouth falls open in shock. "Really?"

"Completely."

Rose beams at him. "So, 'superior Time Lord senses,' you say?"

He grins back at her mischievously. "Yes..."

"Fancy showing me them put to good use?"

"Why, Rose Tyler, I think I do."

...

**A/N: Please review? x**


	3. Demonstration

**Demonstration**

"Jack..." the Doctor began, noting Jack's movements out of the corner of his eye.

"Yeah?" Jack answered, his hands slipping lower and causing Rose to giggle.

"Hands _off."_

"Right. Sorry," he apologised, pulling back and grinning at the blonde wolfishly.

"Listen to you; anyone would think you're jealous or something," Rose smirked, twisting around to face the Doctor.

"Me? Ha! Of course not. But I won't have any of that on my ship, thanks very much," the Doctor dismissed, gesturing madly with his hands.

"Any of that? You mean, _hugging_? You hug her all the time! How is that fair?" asked Jack defensively.

"But I don't feel her up at the same time, do I?" countered the Doctor, and Rose burst into a fit of giggles. He glared at her. "What?"

"Just...you, even saying that sentence..." she paused, laughing hysterically. "It's just...so funny!"

He glared at her some more. "Why is that 'so funny?'" he inquired, folding his arms defensively.

"Well," Jack jumped in. "_I_ can't imagine you feeling anyone up, god knows I've wanted you to," he said, suggestively waggling his eyebrows.

"There you go again, see! Making assumptions about me. I thought at least _we _were past that, Rose."

"I'm sorry?" she asked, still giggling lightly.

"The making assumptions stage. You know, like the _first _time we met _Captain _Jack Harkness."

"You mean, that first time you got really jealous of him?" pointed out Rose.

"Ye – no! What? No, what I was going to point out was the fact that you suggested that I'd never...ahem, _danced._"

"_Do _you _dance_?" asked Jack hopefully.

"He says he does, but he's never actually shown me his moves," teased Rose, her tongue poking out the corner of her mouth as she smiled at the Time Lord.

"Yes, well, that's exactly my point," pronounced the Doctor, rolling his eyes in exasperation.

Rose and Jack looked at each other, and Rose shrugged. They both turned back to face the Doctor, and Jack asked, "What _is _your point?"

"My point is, you, Jack Harkness, have barely returned and you're already all over Rose, and - "

" – you feel like you're missing out?" interrupted Jack.

"Quite frankly, yes," the Doctor answered.

Rose's eyes widened. "You want Jack to touch _you _up?" she asked in disbelief.

"What! No!" exclaimed the Time Lord, a look of horror flitting across his face.

"Rosie, I think what he means is, I've only just come back, and yet I've already touched your bum, which he's never done, despite being with you all the time, and so, seeing as you didn't reproach me for touching you inappropriately, he feels like he's missed out on several hundred thousand opportunities where he could've done the same thing but didn't in case you punched him in the face in return," Jack explained, while the Doctor shot him daggers.

Rose raised her eyebrow.

"He's talking utter drivel, Rose. Just like usual. Ignore him," denied the Doctor.

"You're so in denial," Jack interjected.

"I most certainly am not."

"You are."

"I'm not!"

"You want to grope Rose's bum."

"No, I don't."

"Yeah you do. Admit it. You've never been so jealous of two hands before, until just then."

"Jack, shut up," inputted Rose. "Don't be silly." She tried not to sound disappointed with the Doctor's blatant refusal to want to touch her bottom.

"Yeah, listen to Rose. Shut up," the Doctor hissed.

"What, you afraid if I say it too many times she'll actually start to believe it? Or are you afraid that if I say it too many times, you'll confess everything?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," claimed the Doctor.

"Oh, yes you do. You know, the fact that you want to kiss her, and touch her and...et cetera."

"Hello? Do either of you realise I am still in the room?" asked Rose, waving her hands around.

"Yes," answered Jack.

"Of course," said the Doctor.

"Right. So would you two mind not talking about this? I don't like being objectified like this."

The Doctor snorted, simultaneously with Jack's snigger.

"Oi!" she exclaimed. "I don't! Especially when it's not even true."

Jack raised his eyebrows. "Oh, but it _is _true, isn't it, Doctor? You'd like to objectify Rose, eh?"

"Of course not!"

"You're lying again," Jack noted.

"No, I'm not."

"Yes you are."

"I'm _not!"_

"Oh yes. You really, really are!"

The two men stared each other down for a few minutes, and Rose frowned, bored with their childish behaviour.

"Riighhht," she started. "I'm going to have a bath then go to bed. You two just carry on with this little staring contest you've got going. I'll see you both in the morning."

"Night Rosie," Jack called, his eyes still challenging the Doctor, trying to get him to admit defeat.

"No, Rose – wait!" cried the Doctor, without thinking. He paused mid-turn, half-facing her, half-sensing Jack's smug look out of the corner of his eye.

"Yeah?" replied Rose, her lips twitching in amusement.

"Um...oh! Didn't you say that you wanted me to teach you how to fly the TARDIS?" he asked, grappling for something to keep her awake and with him. He missed her when she slept for ages. Well, he missed her when she slept at all.

"Now?" she retorted incredulously. "Bit late for that, isn't it? I've been up for nearly twenty-four hours without sleep already!"

"Oh," he replied, nodding. "Right, yes, of course." He knew he sounded dejected, but he couldn't help it.

Rose felt bad. He sounded disappointed. Maybe he didn't want to be left in the same room with Jack all night. "Listen, Doctor - "

" – you can teach me instead, if you like?" interrupted Jack with a wink.

"No, wait. I didn't say I didn't want to, I was just...surprised," put in Rose, before she could lose her chance. After all, she didn't want Jack learning before her. Although, he could probably do a fair bit already, but that was beside the point.

The Doctor beamed at her. "You sure you're not too tired?"

"Nah, still running on adrenaline," she answered happily.

"Good. Come here then," he said warmly.

And the lesson commenced.

Jack looked between the two of them for several minutes, watching the Time Lord tell a twenty-year-old _human _girl the basics of how to fly the TARDIS. Who'd have thought, eh? A Time Lord – one of the most pompous and superior races in the universe, falling for a young human, barely out of her teens, so incredibly, incredibly hard. For it was obvious, watching these two; the way he studied her face as he spoke, an expression of pride and affection lighting up his face when he knew she was taking it all in; the way he lent around her as he pointed to various buttons and levers, and shivered when she lent closer still; the way she was biting her lip in concentration – and surely, she must've known what she was doing there, as the Doctor's gaze was forever dropping to her mouth. Besotted, infatuated, enthralled...in love. That was them. And Jack suddenly felt like he was intruding on a profoundly intimate moment when he saw the Doctor regard Rose with a look of bewilderment and joy as she instinctively stroked the TARDIS console, unaware of the two men's intent gaze on her.

"I'm gonna leave you two it, and try and find my room," Jack said quietly, backing away from the scene. But he knew his words were unheard, and he didn't mind. With one last look at his friends, Jack saw the Doctor rest his hand over Rose's, with the pretence of helping her navigate or whatever, and he smiled to himself.

"That's it, just...turn it a little to the...left..." the Doctor was saying, close to Rose's ear as he looked over her shoulder to guide her. He slipped his arm underneath hers and rested his hand atop hers for a moment or two, moving it with her. His breath ghosted over her neck, and with a start, she realised how close they were.

"So, Doctor," she began, before sighing a little when the Doctor moved away from her to view the console screen.

"Yes, Rose?" he replied absently, putting on his glasses.

She swallowed nervously. "Why are you teaching me all this?"

He looked over at her. "Because you asked," he answered, as if it were obvious.

"You don't mind, though, do you?" she asked tentatively.

He smiled at her. "Course I don't. Why would I mind?"

Rose grinned internally. "Well, you might find that I am a much better pilot than you," she teased, before reaching her arm out to touch the time rotor gently. He watched her movements with a curious smile, and he wasn't sure why but he was feeling very strange. Ever since he'd begun to teach her this barely half-hour before, he'd had butterflies flittering around in his stomach. And really, that was just totally undignified for a Time Lord. Since when did they get _butterflies?_ He was almost never nervous, as a rule. And yet, around Rose...

Well, he supposed there were a lot of things that Rose changed the rules of. For instance, he couldn't imagine what his people would've said if they saw him now. An ancient Time Lord, lusting over his innocent, young, perfect Rose.

Hang on.

_Lusting? _He hadn't meant that. No way. Not at all. He wasn't _lusting! _Since when did Time Lords _lust_ over people?

Oh right, yeah. 'Cos they'd never met Rose, had they? That was his entire point. Rose is the exception of all those rules that his people had made; forbidden, impossible partnerships and inferiority and mortal and not enough Time. She had to be the exception; otherwise he wouldn't have fallen –

"Oh, no, no! Don't do that," he told her, half-laughing as he lifted her hand off of a rather dangerous component of the console.

She grinned up at him cheekily. "Oops...did I almost just kill us?"

He matched her wide smile. "Oh yes. See, I might be the most accurate of pilots, but at least I don't almost kill us with the press of a button," he teased.

Rose scoffed, and bumped her shoulder with his playfully. "I was just testing," she joked. "You looked like you'd one off in a bit of a trance; thought I'd better test you were paying attention to what I was doing."

"I'm always paying attention to what you're doing," he replied softly, only realising how that sounded after he'd said it.

Her eyes met his. "Doctor," she murmured.

The Doctor swallowed. "Yeah?" he croaked out slowly.

"Can I have my hand back yet?" she asked innocently.

His gaze flickered down to where he was still holding her hand in his. He let go quickly. "Right. Yes. Course," he stuttered.

"So what does this button do?" she questioned, taking a step in front of him slightly so that she could point to a switch positioned further away from her. This consequently meant that she was now sandwiched between the Doctor and the console. Rose found she didn't mind this, and neither did the Doctor, so they continued as if it were normal for her back to be pressed so close against his front.

He even leaned a little more forward, and extended his arm so that it ran parallel to her pointing one. "That, Rose Tyler, is the radio."

Rose giggled. "Oh."

"Hey, don't sound disappointed; the radio is one of the most important things in a TARDIS!"

She turned her head to look at him with a dubious expression.

"Ok, fine, it isn't. I was just trying to make you feel less silly," he teased. He dropped his arm when she dropped hers, and they brushed each other as they fell to their sides. Rose and the Doctor pretended to ignore their limbs' sneaky behaviour, and she asked him another question.

"How about this one?"

"That's the exothermosis detachment filter," he told her, his voice close to her ear.

"Cool," she said, as if she knew what that meant.

"Yep," he laughed. "Right, now see if you can remember the sequence I just showed you," he then whispered.

Rose took a deep breath, and started to go through the motions that he'd taught her. She remembered most of it, but it was getting increasingly difficult to do this while his chin was resting on her shoulder as he watched.

She moved her hand to twist a lever, but his hand shot out quickly to stop her.

"That one first," he informed, moving her hand to a different lever.

She exhaled shakily. "Oh yeah."

A few whirs and beeps later, the Doctor told Rose to pull the handbrake.

She shifted against him to reach over to it, and heard him breathe a sharp intake of breath. Pausing where she was, her arm hovering over the console, she turned her head to look at him.

"Doctor," she murmured, her voice soft but nervous.

He stared at her. "Yes?"

Rose bottled what she was really going to say, and said instead, "Where will this take us?"

The Doctor swallowed thickly. "What?"

"Where are we going to land?" Rose clarified, and was surprised when he let out a breath of relief. Obviously he had been thinking she was asking a different question there.

"Oh! Um...weelll, just wait and see," he answered. He had directed her to fly the TARDIS to a particular point in space and time, but if she didn't end up there, he was going to pretend that wherever they really were was where they were supposed to be.

She smiled, and pulled the handbrake.

The time rotor moved up and down, and the TARDIS shook. Instinctively, she twisted her arm behind her to seek out the Doctor's hand. He linked their fingers, and pulled her around to face him.

"Rose," he began, but then he was interrupted by a forceful shudder that threw him to the floor, Rose landing directly on top of him. "Ooff," he gasped with the impact, and then Rose began to laugh into his shoulder. He soon joined in, and even when the shuddering stopped, they remained in their position on the floor, giggling to themselves. He brought his hand up to stroke her hair, and she sighed happily when she'd recovered from her laughing fit.

"This is nice," she whispered, and he felt her breath ghost over his neck.

"It is?" he whispered back.

"Yeah."

He pressed his lips to the top of her head. "Yeah. It is." He wrapped his free arm around her waist, and held her close.

"If Jack walked in right now, he'd say that we're proving that he's right," Rose giggled.

"Well, maybe we are. Maybe he is," the Doctor mumbled quietly.

Rose stilled. "Yeah?"

"Yes."

"You _do _want to grope my bottom?" she teased.

"I want a hell of a lot more than that," he answered honestly, for once not thinking about all the reasons that it could be A Really Bad Idea.

"Oh," she breathed. "Good."

"Good?"

"Yep."

"Ah. Right. Good."

Rose lifted her head to look at him. "Shall we - " she began to say, but he cut her off quickly by leaning up and pressing a soft, brief kiss to her parted lips. He flopped back down, and waited for her reaction. "Um..." she whispered nervously.

"Yes?" he asked, smiling innocently.

"Could you do that again?" she asked.

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "Don't you want to see where we've landed?"

"Where _I've _brought us," Rose corrected with a grin.

"Exactly," he beamed at her.

"Nah," she answered, shrugging. "It'll still be there in an hour, if we don't move the TARDIS again. Exploring outside can wait."

The Doctor nodded. "Yes. Yes, you have a point there, Rose Tyler."

"Shall we get off the floor?"

"Probably. But first..." he said, proceeding to kiss her again, this time harder, more insistent. She thrust her hands into his hair and kissed him back furiously, and he rolled them both over so that she was lying on her back instead. They remained that way for several minutes, and with a start the Doctor realised that his tie had been flung across the room and his shirt unbuttoned. He laughed gently against her lips.

"What's so funny?" she asked breathlessly.

"I bloody love you," he answered, capturing her lips again before she could respond.

Rose pushed against his chest so that she could break the kiss. "Did you just say - "

" – yes," he interrupted. "Yes I did."

She grinned. "Quite like that," she admitted.

"Yeah, well don't get too used to it," he teased.

She raised an eyebrow and giggled. "I bloody love you too. Just so you know."

"Excellent," he grinned.

And they didn't discover what was beyond the TARDIS doors for quite some time. In truth, it was Jack who first ventured outside, before alerting them to the fact they were on the planet Quaero Four, and congratulating Rose on landing them on the largest nudist beach in the entire cosmos.

...

**A/N: hey I'm baaaacckkk :) And I'm VERY happy, because I've done lots of writing this week. Ooh, and I'm pleased about my exam results :D not even the rainiest camping trip EVER and a stackload of homework that I still haven't done brought my mood down. Anyways, hope you liked this chapter! Reviews much loved as always xxx**


	4. Interpersonal Attraction

**Interpersonal Attraction**

It happened on a normal day.

Odd that.

You'd have thought, probably, that it would've been because of something big. Something scary. Catastrophic, even. Something threatening to tear them apart forever. A last chance.

But it wasn't.

You'd have thought, maybe, that it would've been because of some disastrous occurrence like losing the TARDIS and having to go domestic or something.

But it wasn't.

You'd have thought, perhaps, that it was all down to jealousy. Either him or her, meeting another person on some planet or some time, and flirting with them, and then the reaction of the other time traveller would have been quite spectacular.

But it wasn't. They didn't do that anymore. They only looked at each other. Funny that.

You'd _never_ have thought it was thanks to something romantic.

And that's okay, because it wasn't. They don't really do romantic.

No, it was just a normal day. Well, as normal as one of their days can be. Namely, they were being chased by an alien in a place which he had told her was uninhabited. They eventually made it through the TARDIS doors and Rose was bent over, hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath. The Doctor threw his coat over one of the railings and watched her, panting himself, despite his respiratory bypass system. That's how fast they'd had to run.

Once Rose had recovered, she walked over and poked him in the chest. "You got it wrong. Again," she said, but her eyes were alight with mischief and she was evidently happy, despite her accusing, teasing tone.

He grabbed her wrist playfully to stop her from moving away. He liked having her close to him. "Nah, not wrong. Just a bit...muddled."

"Muddled," Rose echoed sarcastically.

"Yep," he said, instinctively intertwining their fingers at the same time.

"Right, let's see. You got: the time wrong. The planet wrong. The aliens-don't-live-here bit wrong. The - "

" – yeah, yeah. Ok, I get your point," he interrupted.

"Are you sulking?" she asked him, her mouth curving into one of those gorgeous Rose Tyler smiles; all teeth and tongue and loveliness.

"Never," he declared, like he was outraged at the prospect.

She laughed at him then, right in his face, and he looked at her with an indignant pout. Then he realised that staying angry at Rose Tyler was a lost cause because her laughter was so contagious that he started hooting away with her, and all of a sudden they were collapsed into each other on the floor of the console room, giggling manically.

When the laughter died away they simply sat there; Rose leaning against the Doctor's side, his arm coming up to wrap around her shoulders and secure her snug in his embrace. She turned her head to regard him somewhat lopsidedly, and her smile was beaming across her face, bright enough to light the entire TARDIS for eternity.

He wished she could.

Her tongue poked out then, and he poked his tongue right back at her. She twisted so that she was facing him, and he loosened his grip on her shoulder only to hold her at the elbow instead, guiding her closer.

"You know, I reckon _I _could fly the TARDIS better than you," she commented cheekily.

She probably could. But still. That was insulting. "Oi! Honestly, Rose Tyler - "

And then he stopped to listen, because she was laughing again, and he loved her laugh. He loved everything about her. He loved –

Oh. Oh. _Oh._

_Oh dear._

_I love her?_

_I love her._

_I love Rose._

_Rassilon._

_Really?_

_No._

_Yes._

_Oh dear._

_Yes._

_Yes I do!_

_I love Rose Tyler!_

_Bugger._

"Ah," he said wearily, closing his eyes.

Her giggles having subsided, Rose asked him, "What's up?"

"I...I think I have a problem."

"What sort of problem?" she said, laughing quietly again.

"A big one. A _bad _one."

"How bad is it?"

"Very, very bad. Weeelll, it could be worse, I suppose," he answered, considering this. Out of all the people in the universe, he was pretty sure he was glad that it had been Rose to do this to him, rather than someone..._anyone..._else. Like Blon Fel Fotch or a Cat Nurse Nun or something.

_Yes. It could be worse. _"But it's still extremely bad," he continued.

"Anything I can help you with?" she asked, to which he groaned. "What?" she responded indignantly.

"You're the last person who can possibly help me with this," he told her, opening his eyes only to see her beautiful face that would certainly be the death of him. Again.

He closed his eyes again. Much easier to have a conversation with her like that; not looking into her big, brown eyes that he loved so much.

_Oh dear._

"Thanks," she responded sarcastically. "Am I too much of a stupid ape for you or something?" she asked teasingly.

"Definitely not. Quite the opposite in fact."

"What are you going on about?" she asked, affectionately reaching up and patting him on the head. She ran one of her hands through his hair then, unconsciously, and he had to take some deep, steadying breaths. He hated

(loved)

it when she did that.

"I...weeelll, the thing is, I sort of..." he trailed off.

"Go on. Say it," Rose prompted.

"Have you ever thought...nah, course you haven't," he replied distractedly.

"Have I ever thought what?"

"Never mind."

"Doctor!"

"It doesn't matter."

"Yes. It. Does. Tell me!"

"Evolution!" the Doctor blurted out.

Rose looked at him strangely. "Huh?"

He swallowed. "Ok. So. Humans, yeah?"

Unsure of what he was asking, Rose simply nodded.

"Ok. So, humans have evolved, to be able to take one look at someone and know whether they like them or not. Obviously, friendship builds over time, according to many different factors – like, bonding over shared events, working out a problem together, having things in common, having fun et cetera, et cetera. But there's always an initial judgement, yeah? Humans take one look at someone and surmise who or what they are, just through stereotyping and...stuff."

He paused, and Rose raised an eyebrow. "Where is this going?" she asked.

"Somewhere!" the Doctor insisted. "To determine how much you like someone, there's an interpersonal attraction involved – a force that draws people together. And there's a whole spectrum then, from extreme attraction to extreme repulsion. You like or you dislike a person." He took a deep breath. "You love or you hate someone."

"Yeah...?" Rose said, turning and snuggling into him a bit more to settle down for his lecture, and maybe nod off. She loved to listen to his voice, especially when he was in Sexy Teacher Mode, but she was very tired, and if he even mentioned the words _transdimensional physics_ she reckoned she'd fall asleep straight away. Instinctively, she flung her arm around his waist and rested her head on his chest.

Her movements consequently made it a lot harder for the Doctor to continue talking.

But you know. He persevered.

"Weeelll..." he started, clearing his throat afterwards in an attempt to dispel some of its huskiness. This was all quite strange, trying to tell her this.

"Go on," she said.

"Weeelll, there are factors causing that interpersonal attraction - physical attractiveness, propinquity, familiarity, similarity, complementarity, reciprocal liking, and reinforcement. The first, obviously, is how attracted you are to someone simply because of what they look like," he told her, and fortunately for her, her face was hidden so he couldn't see her blush. "Then there's how often you come in contact with someone, how familiar and intimate you are with them, the characteristics you share, the things that you differ on that in fact make you the perfect pair, how much you believe the other person likes you, and the future behaviour of either person."

He stopped talking for a bit then, considering his next words carefully, so Rose took the opportunity. "Doctor?"

"Hmmm?" he replied distractedly.

"What are you saying?"

She stretched her legs out perpendicular to his and turned herself around so that her head was resting on his lap. He looked down at her and smiled. "I'm just...I'm trying to make sense of it."

"What, your problem?"

"Yeah."

"But you're talking about human relationships and stuff. What's that got to do with a Time Lord's inability to fly his own TARDIS properly?" she asked teasingly.

"Oi!" he replied, and tickled her ribs.

"No! Don't! Too ticklish!" she shrieked.

"You shouldn't have insulted me then, should you?" he retorted, still tickling her mercilessly.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" she cried, wriggling around on his lap, laughing hysterically.

He ceased his motions, and watched her closely as she calmed down. She caught his eye, and frowned quizzically. "What are you staring at?" she asked him.

He cleared his throat again. "Nothing. Just. Weelll. Just you."

She beamed up at him. "Ah, well that's alright then."

"Yeah?"

"Yep."

"You like me staring at you, do you?" he teased.

"Mmhmm," she replied simply.

He smiled warmly at her. "Rose. You know what I was saying earlier..."

"About being attracted to someone?"

He swallowed nervously. "Sort of, yeah. Weelll. You see, the thing is..." he floundered then, the words stuck in his throat.

"Are you confused?"

He blinked at her. "What? Am _I _confused? I thought you were confused as to where the conversation was going, not me."

"I am. But I don't mean about this weird conversation. I mean, are you confused about..." she trailed off then, hesitant to continue.

"About...?" he prompted.

She inhaled a deep breath. "About...boundaries. And um...friendship and...human ideas and...er...well. And us." She gestured between them with a nervous hand.

"Yeah," he murmured quietly.

Her eyes widened. "Really? I completely guessed there," she laughed. Then she stopped and just looked at him. "Me too," she said softly.

"It's just - " he began, but stopped when he noticed where his hands were. His left was fitted securely in hers, resting on her stomach, and his right was stroking the loose strands of her hair back from her face.

Her eyes followed his gaze and she bit her lip in realisation. She didn't know what to say.

He frowned a little, and then began to talk again. "So, normal humans. Weeelll, normal anyone. Weeelll, except for Time Lords, really. Normal people meet in normal ways and become friends and laugh together and maybe go on dates and then fall in love in the normal fashion and have normal life together for the rest of their normal, if immensely boring, lives," he explained, in a fairly coherent way, he thought.

She just stared at him, praying that this was going the way she longed for it to go.

Then came the hard part. "But that's not...that's not...it's...huh. How do I say this? Um..." he stuttered, no longer strictly coherent, averting his eyes from hers. "I could never have that."

Rose plucked up the courage to speak. "Did Time Lords...not do that?"

He met her eyes then. "Weeelll, not really. It was more sort of...complicated. Nothing as straightforward as simply falling in love."

"There's nothing straightforward about falling in love," Rose muttered.

He gazed at her expressively for a few moments. "No, you're right. Nothing straightforward about that. But..."

"We aren't normal people, Doctor."

"What?"

"Normal people do things...normally." Rose cringed at how rubbish she was at this. All she wanted to do was _tell _him, but she knew he didn't feel quite the same, so it was going to be so awkward when she did.

"So we did things differently," the Doctor murmured.

Rose's pulse rate quickened and she blinked rapidly. "We did?"

"Course we did. I picked you up with a line that no other man could ever use," he said sincerely, and then they both burst out laughing. "Best eight words I've ever said," he told her meaningfully once their laughter had faded out.

She smiled. "Is that what you did, then? 'Picked me up?'"

"Weeelll, I picked you, and I took you upwards," he retorted, smiling gently.

"I saved your life. You didn't _pick _me. You were _forced _to take me, because of my utter brilliance," she said seriously.

"That's true," he admitted. "Never usually ask twice."

"Special, was I?"

"Oh yes," he insisted, and she grinned up at him.

"What else did we do differently?" she asked innocently.

"Everything," he sighed happily. He thought for a moment, and a frown flickered across his face. He glanced down at their intertwined hands again, and his right hand softly stroking over the features of her face; her forehead, her cheek, her jaw line. His frown deepened as his confusion grew greater. "Rose, are we...are we a...a..." he trailed off.

"Are we 'a' what?" she asked, her heart beating double time.

He cleared his throat. "We hold hands all the time. We hug all the time. We laugh all the time. You tease me all the time. I moan about your mother all the time. We argue a lot of the time, let's be honest. We drink tea and talk for hours together. We live together. We visit places together. We sit on that sofa in the library practically snuggling together. To all intents and purposes it has just struck me that we are, in actual fact, a couple, are we not?"

"Not to _all _intents and purposes," Rose murmured, a suggestive eyebrow raising conspiringly.

He sighed over-dramatically, pretending to be exasperated with her. "I don't know; you humans, always reducing things to that."

"I'm not reducing anything to anything. As for being a couple...what happened to the whole 'humans wither and die' speech? I didn't think you did the being one half of a 'couple' thing. Especially not with a human. I just assumed you were this over-friendly with everyone you've travelled with," said Rose, accompanied with a shrug.

The Doctor stared at her. "Seriously? You thought that? Really?"

Rose shrugged again. "I...well. I hoped it was more than that, but..."

"You did?"

"Yeah. But you know, what with you being a different species and everything..." she trailed off, smiling nervously. "And I have no idea what you think of me, really. I mean, this could all mean something different to you, couldn't it? Like you were saying earlier, about humans and that. And you're different; you're alien. Physical attraction and all that other nonsense you were going on about...that's not the same for you, is it?" she asked him, swallowing past the lump in her throat. "You're sort of...indifferent to that sort of thing, right?" Then she had a horrifying thought. "Oh. Or...are you just indifferent to me?"

He stared at her again and shook his head. "You really have no idea do you? Just what you mean to me. I can assure you, Rose Tyler, I am extremely _not _indifferent to you. That's my problem," he explained, chuckling a little.

Rose sat up at that, and his hand at her cheek fell, brushing her arm on its way down to rest on the floor. She shivered involuntarily, and fixed him a look. A look that said: Explain Yourself, I Don't Understand You, You Silly Alien.

"Rose - " he began. He let go of her hand and wrapped his arms around her waist, dragging her around and closer until her back was pressed up against his front. She shifted, settling on his lap, and stretched her legs out in the same direction as his this time. She bumped her knee against his and smiled at how right this position felt. Being in his arms. It felt wonderful.

He pressed a kiss to the top of her head and that was enough to make her giggle in delight. He rested his chin on her head then, and asked, "What are you giggling at _now, _Rose Tyler?"

"You're not indifferent to me..." she said slowly, marvelling at the prospect.

"Of course I'm not."

"So...you...notice me, then?"

"Hard not to, with that cackling laugh you've got," he retorted. _Takes after her mother, _he thought. He shuddered at that.

"Hey! I _meant, _you notice me in a...um...physical attraction-y way?" she asked tentatively.

"Yes, Rose. I am very physically attracted to you," he said seriously, amusement underlying his words, and then he nuzzled her hair affectionately.

"Then why have you never kissed me?" she blurted out, without really thinking.

"Do _you_ fancy _me_, Rose Tyler?" he countered.

"Yes," she admitted simply, refusing to acknowledge her blushing cheeks. It was time to confess these things, she thought. She needed him to know. She couldn't go on pretending.

"Then why have _you_ never kissed _me?_"

"I...oh. Well, I thought if I did, you'd take me home or something."

"Ah."

"I thought I'd overstep that final boundary and ruin everything."

"I see."

"I thought you'd reject me and then I'd feel really, really stupid."

"Right."

"And I didn't really think anything else would ever happen, so I just...didn't do anything to find out."

"Yeah."

There were a few moments of silence, and then: "Doctor?"

"Hmmm?"

"Have you ever wanted to make this...more?"

He took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of her shampoo and various other things that were Rose as he did so. "I'm not meant to feel like this. It's not a...biological imperative for me to...want this...but...I realised a long time ago that things are different with you."

"Oh," Rose whispered.

"And then it suddenly occurred to me, when I was listening to you laughing earlier, how much I love to see you so happy."

And _oh,_ did she know what he was really saying here.

Rose turned her head to look at him, and before she knew what was happening, his lips were on hers. Her eyes fluttered closed and their noses bumped together as she twisted more fully, bringing her whole body around until she was facing him and sitting astride his lap. They both parted their lips simultaneously, and explored each other's mouths passionately; her hands came up to run through his hair and she pushed him backwards until his head hit the wall. He gripped her by the hips and pulled her closer still, and soon she was straddling him quite deliciously.

After a few moments, Rose pulled back panting, gasping for breath in an entirely different way to earlier on, before all those revelations. She dropped her hands to his collar and she fiddled with it nervously, contemplating what to say.

"Rose - " he began, but she got there first.

" - I love you," she whispered, her words ghosting over his lips.

He smiled and lent his forehead against hers. "I love you more," he murmured, and she laughed.

"Soppy git," she told him.

"Yep. But apparently, you love me, so all is good," he insisted.

"It certainly is," Rose agreed.

And they kissed some more.

It happened on a normal day. Well, normal for them. And it was brilliant.

Just like them.

...

_Later. Much later. Four hours later, in fact._

"So, how long have you been _physically attracted_ to me, Doctor?" she asked sleepily, snuggling into his chest.

He let out a long breath and pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head. "I think it would be indecent of me to say."

Rose giggled, the sound reverberating against his collar bone, and he shivered unintentionally. "That first time I took a shower on the TARDIS and you burst in accidently, then?" she questioned playfully.

_Accidently?_ _Okay. Sure, she could think that. Let's go with that. That's good. Safe._ "Mm-hmm," he replied, smiling into her hair as he held her close.

"I liked you before you changed, you know. Even the ears," she murmured softly after a few moments of silence. "It's never mattered, though. What you look like, it doesn't matter, 'cos I'd love you even if you had two heads. Or no head. But that definitely wouldn't be an improvement so don't go testing my word on that," she laughed.

"Thankyou," he said softly, his eyes drifting closed himself.

"But don't go dying on me again, 'cos you're quite sexy like this," she instructed sternly but quietly, her voice barely more than a whisper.

"I believe the word was 'foxy,'" he replied cheekily, finding her hand under the bedsheet and grasping it firmly in his.

"Same difference," she mumbled, drifting off to sleep. "Love you."

"Love you too."

And that was that.

...

**A/N: Hope you enjoyed this :D I had lots of fun writing it, I do have to say. Well, I always have fun writing ten/rose. These two really are THE best pairing EVER. Anyways, please review! Love Laura x**


	5. Comfy

**A/N: Hiya :D Another ten/rose oneshot. If you think the Doctor is OOC here, then so be it, but just accept this as a bit of light-hearted fluffy fun. Oh, and imagine Jack is on this adventure with them, even though it's set somewhere in series 2. Please review! Love to you all xxx**

**Comfy?**

The Doctor pauses his babbling when the ceiling caves in.

"Doctor!" shrieks Rose, and his quick reactions allow him to pull her against his body and shove them both to the floor. He rolls them both over a few times as the reams of metal and plastic collapse simultaneously, falling to the floor they once occupied.

Finally, the building stops dropping its roof on them, and silence fills the room.

That's when they both notice their position. In order to protect Rose from, well, falling stuff, the Doctor had rolled her onto her back, with him landing directly on top of her.

Rose looks up at him with grateful smile, panting heavily – partly to do with the fact they just almost got injured (or worse) and partly because of their close (and rather delightful) proximity. "Thanks," she murmurs.

"No problemo!" replies the Doctor, who then grimaces slightly. "Yuck, never saying that again." He stares down at her then, matching her gaze and her relieved smile. "Hello," he whispers, grinning.

"Hello," she whispers back. She swallows thickly. "Um...not that this isn't lovely and everything, but aren't you gonna get up?" asks Rose tentatively.

He blinks. "Huh? Oh, right. Yeah. I would, but I can't," he tells her, craning his neck to look around him.

"No?" A slight shiver runs through Rose's body.

"No. There's a bit of rock and metal and stuff trapping my leg, you see."

"Oh. Right, well I suppose we'll just have to wait right here until Jack gets here to heave it off then," she replies. She tries to look irritated at the prospect, but it's not working. In truth, she's a little bit delighted that the Doctor is trapped like this, completely pressing against her body. A position she never thought they'd be in. Hence, her mischievous smile...

"Rose?" the Doctor whispers.

"Yeah?" she replies, knowing that she should really stop staring at him so intensely. But really, in such a cramped space, there's little else she can look at.

"I think you might be enjoying this," he says, smiling smugly when she blushes.

"What would give you that idea?" she replies shakily.

"Because your pulse rate's way too high right now."

"That's just the excitement," she dismisses. He raises an eyebrow. "The excitement and adrenaline and all that. You know, from running away from aliens. Not...this," she clarifies, her faces turning an even deeper shade of pink.

"Ah, ok. I see," he replies, smirking.

His breath ghosts across her lips, and there's barely two inches between them. His arms are braced on his elbows, resting either side of her. On impact with the floor, Rose's legs had parted slightly, and his legs had slid in between them, so right now, she is very aware of his hips pressing into hers.

She swallows.

Perhaps, just perhaps, amongst other things.

Although there is equal possibility that that is just his sonic screwdriver or emergency banana or something.

"Rose?" he says then.

"Yep?" she replies quickly, profusely ignoring her urge to kiss him right there and then. She's this close to losing her restraint, though...

"Sorry about this."

"That's ok. You're not that heavy." Pretend to be indifferent, pretend to be indifferent, she thinks.

"Good. And you're quite comfy, you know."

She raises an eyebrow. "Are you saying I'm fat?" she questions, fighting back a giggle at the way his eyes widen in horror.

"Nonononono! No, you're not fat, I didn't mean that. I mean, you're not as thin as some -" At this, her left eyebrow joins her right, lifting to her hairline. "Nononono! Um, what I mean is, you're not all hard and bony and stuff, you're just, quite nice to lie on. Not that I want to lie on you or - "

"You don't?" she asks, not being able to resist the urge to tease him.

"No. Yes. No. Wait, I'm confused. I don't know what the right answer is."

"Well, do you like lying on me or not?"

"Um...yes. No? I haven't given it much thought, really," he replies hastily, tugging at his tie awkwardly. It's getting a bit hot in here.

"Could've fooled me," she retorts. "So, you think I'm fat and you're not sure whether you like lying on top of me or not. Learn something new every day, eh Doctor?" she says, and she's the one smirking now.

"I don't think you're fat, I didn't say that. You're just...soft. And um..."

"So basically, I'm a nice cushion," she supplies.

"Yeah, um..."

"A fat cushion," she declares, tutting as if in annoyance.

"No! No, not fat, just nice and comfy and...curvy."

Wait. Ok. Curvy? Where had that come from? He thinks that he should really just stop talking now otherwise he's going to admit something silly, like the fact that he loves her or something.

"Curvy?" she echoes, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"Yeah. But that's good! That's nice. Very nice. It's nice to have something to hold onto. Not that I do...or will ever...hold onto anything...erm...you know what I mean. Curvy is sexy. Not that I think you're sexy...erm…no, wait, that came out wrong; I mean, you are sexy, but not that I've been looking. Not that I wouldn't want to look, though. Not that I'm being all, um..." he stutters, aware that he is making a wondrous fool of himself right now. He's acting totally undignified. Totally un-Time-Lord-y. Totally un-him.

"Pervy?" she says, and she can't help it; a small giggle escapes her, which she tries to cover with a cough.

"Mmm," he concedes, sighing in annoyance at himself. He's now very conscious of the fact that he's a complete idiot who can't even talk properly just because he's accidently lying on top of his friend. His best friend.

Nothing more.

"So, you think I'm sexy," Rose says casually.

Something more. Lots more.

Blimey.

His eyes widen. "Weeelll..."

"Don't deny it. You said so yourself," she replies, grinning triumphantly.

"How did we get to talking about this?" He can't believe he's let himself fall into this conversation.

"Oh, you know, when you hinted about me being all fat and soft, and - "

"Don't start that again. It was meant to be a compliment! You're not fat and you're nice and toned. It's all the running we do," he replies, his face splitting into a wide grin.

She smiles back. "Yeah..."

They look at each other a few moments, the silence deafening.

"I was only joking around, you know. I was just teasing you. And you went so adorably flustered and embarrassed, trying to get yourself out of the hole you kept right on digging..." murmurs Rose eventually, breaking the silence.

He narrows his eyes at her. "There was me thinking I'd upset you."

She laughs. "Upset me? After a few tries, you finally told me wanted I've always wanted to hear!" He blinks at her. She stops laughing when she realises what she just said.

"Yeah?" he whispers.

"No," she lies, her face growing hot.

He smiles at her. "Ahhh, this is good. Now you're embarrassed again."

"No, I'm not."

"Then why are you blushing?"

"Because...is it me or is it getting hot in here?" she asks.

"No, it's not just you," he smiles gently. In actual fact, the temperature in the collapsed-in room had not remotely altered from the rather cool 12°C that it had been when they first arrived in here. But he was getting very hot under the collar right now. What with them, lying here like this, and talking about the things they were talking about. Namely, Rose's body.

"Jack should be along soon," Rose mutters conversationally.

He can't help but hope that there was a hint of disappointment he heard in her voice just then.

"Hmmm," he replies, his eyes not leaving hers.

Then, he notices her eyes dip to look at his lips. This makes him smile, quite absurdly happily.

After a while of just looking at her, contemplating, he decides to take action. He might as well. He's bored with waiting and Rose is here, lying underneath him, and they've nothing else to do. And she can't exactly pull away. Perfect opportunity.

"Rose?" he asks again.

"What now?" she sighs, dragging her eyes from his lips abruptly. She hadn't realised her gaze had slipped until he spoke.

"I'm a curious person. You know that."

"Yeah...and?"

"I like to theorise and, you know, do little experiments - discover what something's like by actually experiencing it."

"Mmhmm...?"

"And...weeellll, there's something I've been wanting to experience for quite a while now."

"Yeah?" she replies, confused.

"Mmmm."

"What's that then?" she asks curiously.

"I don't know if I should tell you," he murmurs quietly.

"Oh come on, you can't say all that and then not tell me wha - " she tries to say, but he cuts off her sentence.

With a great, big, passionate snog.

Rose responds to his kiss instantly, but then after several long moments, she pushes her hands against his chest and he reluctantly pulls away. And now he feels a bit silly. Weeelll, alright. Very silly. Weeelll, very, very extremely silly. He'd thought...oh dear, he'd thought she'd want him to kiss her. And now it turns out she didn't. Doesn't. Uh-oh. He's possibly just ruined their friendship forever now. He's not very good at this sort of thing. Didn't really know the best way to go about telling her how he felt. He'd just gone for it. Oh, why had this had to happen today? Why had the building collapsed and made him throw himself on top of Rose? Why? He's perfectly capable of resisting the urge to kiss her when he is standing next to her, but lying on top of her is another story. Evidently.

And now he has a problem. Because she pushed him away. But he still wants to kiss her.

He meets her shocked eyes and sets his jaw firmly. "Sorry, Rose. That was...stupid. I'm sorry. Can you forget that ever happened?"

She's breathing heavily and it takes her a moment to understand what he's saying. "Um...right. Right. It's just, I don't think I can," she tells him, her mind replaying his kiss over and over again.

He looks dejected. "Have I..." he swallows nervously. "Have I ruined things?"

Her brow furrows in confusion. "How?"

"Weeelll, by...um...kissing you; has that ruined everything? Are you going to..."

"To what?" she asks, her heart stammering.

"To leave?"

She gasps. "Do you want me to leave?" she asks worriedly.

"Nononono, I was just asking if you wanted to. I don't want you to go. That's my point."

"What?"

"Like I said, just forget it ever happened. We can just, you know. Go on as normal."

"What if I don't want to go on as normal?" she asks tentatively. "What if, for example, I want you to kiss me again?"

He blinks at her. "What?"

"Would you?"

He swallows thickly. "Well, yes. But...you...do you...um..."

Rose rolls her eyes at him and thrusts her hands into his hair, pushing her lips to his once more. She sees his eyes widen, but nevertheless he responds enthusiastically, his hands coming up to frame her face as he deepens the kiss. Things get decidedly more heated, and the Doctor really wishes, despite Rose being quite comfy for him to lie on top of, that _she_ was resting on something more comfortable. Like a bed. His bed. Her bed. Any bed, really. He's not fussy. Even the sofa in the library would do.

Maybe even the kitchen table.

(Ok, so that might not seem very comfortable, but he's sure he'll be able to make it work. He just wants to be able to get into a better position for what he wants to do. And for that, even a kitchen table would be better than this... anywhere but trapped amongst bricks and metal and dust, where right now he's unable to touch her properly.)

He shifts above her, pressing her into the floor, eliciting appreciative moans from deep in both their throats that are muffled thanks to their thorough exploration of their corresponding mouths. Her hands slip from his hair down to his back, and she wishes she could feel him skin-on-skin. Nonetheless, he gasps into her mouth when she rakes her nails down his back, sensing it even through his jacket and shirt.

The Doctor's hands manage to find his way down to her legs, and gripping beneath the knees, he yanks her legs up to wrap around him. He pulls back from her lips to assault her neck, and she tilts her head back to give him more tantalising access. Rose responds by untucking his shirt and slipping her hand underneath and running it over his chest, desperate to touch as much of him as she can before the spell is broken.

And then, it happens. The spell breaks.

"Honestly, I leave you two alone for five minutes..." comes a voice from above them. Jack's voice.

Ah. Oops.

Rose unhooks her legs and puts them back to the floor hastily, and the Doctor leans on his elbows and looks up, hovering over her instead of pressing against her. He clears his throat to speak, but Jack continues, bending down to them and whispering, "...And you start without me." He grins at the scowl the Doctor gives him, and the blush that spreads over Rose's face. "Now, do you want me to lift up that rock thing that's trapping your leg, Doctor, or do you want to stay where you are? Or rather, do you need to stay where you are?"

The Doctor hesitates, and Jacks smirks. Rose rolls her eyes. "Please Jack, just get the thing off."

"The rock or the Doctor?" asks Jack innocently.

"Both," she answers, and the Doctor frowns in indignation.

"Has he been taking advantage of the situation, Rose?" Jack questions while lifting off the rock.

"Yes," she says, and giggles as the Doctor's frown deepens.

"You seemed to be enjoying it from where I was laying," the Time Lord insists, hauling himself up and holding a hand out for Rose.

She grabs it, and he pulls her up. "You said it was an experiment, right?"

"Um...yeah?" replies the Doctor, confused.

"Kinky," murmurs Jack.

"Well, you have to conduct repeats of experiments, right? To make sure they are accurate and everything. With and without different variables and such. In different environments. Consequently," she pauses, looking the Doctor in the eye. "We'll have to do that again. Without clothes. In my bedroom. Only to check if I enjoyed it or not, of course."

He swallows thickly. "That's a very intelligent suggestion. Very logical. I like it," he replies.

"Yeah, well, I know you like it when I'm _logical_," she grins mischievously, and the Doctor's eyebrows shoot up.

He shrugs. "Suppose I do," he says, trying to sound indifferent; but the corners of his mouth twitch in amusement.

"Right, I'm going to...erm...go do something. That doesn't involve watching you two making such enticing promises," announces Jack.

"I'd have thought you'd have liked that, Jack," smirks the Doctor.

"You gonna let me join you?" retorts Jack, and the Doctor's smile drops off his face. "Thought not. Ergo...I have to leave. Too tempting. I'll...see you back at the TARDIS in about five hours, ok?" Jack adds, rushing past them and out of the door.

"Bless," smiles Rose.

"Mmm."

"So...do we have to go and search for the Kestrali general now?" says Rose, disappointment flooding through her when she realises what they're meant to be doing.

"What?" he asks, puzzled, conveniently forgetting all thoughts other than I just kissed Rose...and she wants to do it again...rose...kiss...kissrose...doitagaindoitagaindoitagain...

"Well, that was what we were planning to do today, before the room crashed down around us. We've got a mystery to solve, remember?"

"Oh," he sighs. "Oh, right. Yeah." Trust her to remember that. She always has to keep him focussed, doesn't she?

How unfortunate.

"Come on then. Sooner we get this done and dusted, the sooner we can get back to our experimentation," she replies, throwing in a wink.

His demeanour brightens immediately. "Yes, good point. Excellent point. Brilliant, in fact! I love it when you make brilliant points, Rose Tyler!" he smiles, grasping her hand. He makes to move, but she doesn't follow him, so he steps back again. "Rose?"

She's standing very still and watching him curiously.

"Rose? What's up?"

Her brow furrows as if she's remembering something, or perhaps searching for a memory.

"Rose? Are you having an epiphany?" he asks cheekily. "Are you about to make another brilliant point?"

"You've never said that word before."

"What word?" he asks bemusedly. "Brilliant? I say brilliant all the time!"

"Love. Like, in relation to me. And you. And...me...um..."

"What?" he says, his expression abruptly changing and doing a good impression of shell-shock as he thinks over his previous sentences.

"You just said, 'I love it when you make brilliant points,'" she reminds him.

He gulps. "So?"

She looks at him long and hard for a moment, then shakes her head. "Never mind."

"No, wait, what is it?" he asks, stopping her when she starts to walk away.

"Nothing, I'm just being silly," she insists, laughing lightly.

"Oh. Right," he accepts. But he doesn't look like he believes her.

She coughs awkwardly. "Anyway...alons-y?"

"Alons-y," he agrees. "But first," he adds, pulling her back again. "I love it when you say that, too."

Her breath catches. "What's that?"

"Alons-y," he answers. "And while we are the topic of things I love to hear you say," he goes on, linking his arm with hers and leading her down the corridor. "I think 'Doctor' is pretty high on the list. Along with 'you daft alien' which for some weird reason you say quite often, can't see why, but yeah. I kind of love it. And then there are the times you say something like 'chocolate' or 'deducting' and you pronounce the word really...um...deliciously."

She raises an eyebrow. "Seriously?"

"Oh yeah, and that!" he enthuses. "You say 'seriously' with this teasing, kind of dubious tone of voice, which is great. And when you look at me as if you don't believe me, or when you're frustrated, and you say 'Oh, come on,'" he grins.

"Riiight..." she replies, very, very confused as to why he is suddenly so fascinated with the way she speaks.

"And that! I sort of love the way you go along with what I'm saying with a word like 'right,' but then as you say it you sound so adorably confused that I really have to resist the urge to..." he trails off when he realises what he's saying, and clears his throat.

Her breath catches. "To what?" she whispers.

"And I love it when you stand up for someone against aliens or whatever that you should be scared of but aren't, because what they're doing is wrong and you don't agree with that and so feel you should stop it," he continues hurriedly, avoiding finishing his previous sentence. "And I love you when you stop to notice the smaller, but often more beautiful things about places, like when we visited Corara – hang on, Rose, you're staring at me," he pauses, taking in her odd gaze and the way she's clutching his arm in a death grip.

It's then that he replays his words, wondering what he's said now, and notices his slip-up.

_'And I love you when you stop to notice...'_

_Oh dear. Really should have focused on those words before they came out my mouth._

_She's still staring at me._

_Uh-oh, _he thinks.

He tugs his ear nervously. "Rose?"

"Did you mean to say that?" she murmurs.

"No," he admits. Then he sees her hurt expression and realises that that came out wrong. "What I mean is, it was by accident. I didn't mean for you to hear that, but...er...but..." he pauses and takes in a deep breath. "But it's true. You must've known that before. It's a bit impossible for me to love everything about you and everything you do without loving you, after all, seeing as really, that is you, and um..." he answers, rambling only ever so slightly.

She looks away, smiling shyly.

"Rose?"

She glances back up at him, and makes a spontaneous decision. She throws her arms around his neck and kisses him soundly, making him stumble back in surprise.

"The Kestrali General can wait five minutes," he mumbles against her lips when she pulls back a millimetre.

"Five minutes? That's a bit ambitious, Doctor," she giggles, grinning cheekily.

...

So there we are.

Suffice to say, they left Jack to solve the mystery, and didn't come out of the TARDIS for several hours. They got too comfy on that bed of his, and to be honest, couldn't be bothered to do anything but each other for a very long time.


	6. Denial

**A/N: Another instalment of Ten/Rose oneshot happiness :D x**

**Denial**

"What I don't understand, right, is how you managed to get over the other side of the river – naked, I may add, and amongst crocodiles and hippos at that - break out of your handcuffs without your sonic screwdriver, hobble back to the tomb with a sprained ankle, eat one of those poisonous berries and somehow survive, defeat the Arusians with a bag of flour and a torch, and come and rescue me – once you'd found your clothes, obviously – in the pyramid furthest away from the TARDIS, and _still _get us back in here before you got sunburnt?" she asked, a bit breathless by the end of her question, it had to be said.

He beamed at her. "Ah, you see, that's what I love about you, Rose. Always asking the right questions, you are. Always curious, always nosy. It's good, being nosy. Weeelll, not if you're a Eifhian, 'cos the prefer the whole 'ignorance is bliss' thing. It's actually an _illegal_ offence on the planet Eifhi to ask a question. Can you imagine that? You wouldn't last five minutes there. Remind me, if I ever decide to take you – 'cos I might, you know, 'cos they have _beautiful _suns-sets that I know you'd just _love _– so if I do, remind me to take you to an uninhabited bit. You know what I'm like; I'll probably neglect to remember the other stuff and go blundering in. I do that a lot, don't I? Which is odd, considering I'm always going on at you humans about it. But I do, really. I mean, we both know that I'm the most intelligent being in the universe, but even I forget the boring stuff when I'm eager to show off and wait, you're staring at me...?"

He thought she'd been a bit quiet. He'd expected a scoff at the nosy stuff, maybe a snort at the big-headedness. But she'd been silent throughout his ramble, and now she was staring at him with a glazed over expression. Ah. She probably wasn't even listening to a word of that; away with the fairies most likely, in her own little world, in a bubble, in a daydream, 'the lights are on but no one's home' sort of thing. Probably lost in a memory, or thinking about where they were yet to go. Considering a particular time, or place or...or maybe she was simply trying to formulate another question for him. Maybe she was trying to follow his trail of thought. Or maybe she was just fantasising about him grabbing her by the shoulders and snogging her senseless...ah. No. Wait. That was _his _thought. She wouldn't be thinking that. Couldn't possibly be thinking that...could she? Nah. Course not. Not Rose. She'd just zoned out.

"What are you thinking about, Rose Tyler?"

She snapped back to reality at the sound of her name. "Nothing," she answered quickly.

"No, go on. Tell me," he insisted.

"It's nothing. Really. I just lost track of what you were saying. Sorry."

"Well, what was the last thing I said?"

_Right,_ she thought. _He wants to know, I'll just come out and say it._

She cleared her throat. "Well...um... 'That's what I love about you.'"

"Blimey, you missed my whole speech about Eifhi. Well, if we ever end up there and you break the law, then it's your own fault for not listening to my warnings Rose Tyler!" He leant over to flick a switch on the console, then settled down into the seat more fully.

Rose, meanwhile, was confused. Didn't he realise what he'd said? Didn't he realise what she would be thinking now he'd said that? Didn't he –

"Bugger," she heard him mutter, and she quickly glanced at him. He'd gone terribly pale, and his eyes were currently bugging out of head, his mouth hanging open, and his hand halfway to his neck...a moment of shock and realisation-is-dawning-of-monumental-proportions...

- yep. He'd just realised.

She walked slowly over to him, taking tentative steps to the chair before sitting down next to him gently.

"Yeah," she murmured. "Bugger."

Rose turned her head to look at him, and he broke out of his trance to move likewise. They sat there, silently staring at each other for what seemed like forever, but was realistically only a few minutes. The tension between them was palpable, but neither could utter a word to break it.

He sort of wanted to kiss her, but he didn't think that would help matters, so he didn't.

Eventually, the Doctor cleared his throat. "Rose," he croaked out harshly, his throat dry. "I..."

"It's okay," she interrupted hurriedly. "It was just a slip of the tongue, right? No harm done."

He swallowed past the lump in his throat. "Right. Yes. Yes, of course. Just a slip of the..." His gaze dropped to her lips, her gently, encouragingly smiling lips, a hint of her tongue poking out of the corner of her mouth. "...tongue," he finished, slightly high-pitched. He quickly met her eyes again, praying she hadn't noticed that other slip-up.

"Didn't...didn't mean anything," she added.

"Nope. No, definitely not. Didn't mean anything! Just...a...a turn of phrase," he elaborated.

"A mistake anyone could make," Rose offered, shrugging nonchalantly.

"Exactly. Weeelll, not exactly."

"What do you mean?" she asked innocently, her fingers playing with the button on his jacket without her mind giving them permission. Her mind was busy with trying to construe sentences - feed the Doctor justifications - though, so it didn't realise her disobedient digits' behaviour.

"Weeelll, it wouldn't be _anyone _who could make that mistake. Because it couldn't be a stranger, could it? They'd have to know you. Quite well. It would be a bit over-friendly for just an acquaintance to say it, don't you think?" he babbled.

"Yeah..." she said slowly. "Well, then. A mistake that anyone who knows me quite well could make," she amended.

He nodded. "Yeah. That's...better," he approved, his eyes darting to her mouth again when she wet her lips thoughtfully. He took some deep breaths and tried to think of what to say next.

"And...and really, I mean...well, we are friends, so..." she began again.

"Best friends," he interjected.

"Exactly," she said, nodding enthusiastically. "And best friends would sometimes, probably, say stuff like that, right?"

"Right. Yeah, course they do. We're just over-analysing it," he insisted, rolling his eyes as if laughing at their behaviour.

"We are, yeah. Over-analyse everything, you do," she laughed softly. Kind of nervously.

"Well, you started it."

"How did I start it?"

"Well, you could have just let it go. Ignored it. I didn't even realise I'd said it until you brought it up, so..."

"Oh. Right. Oh well. Never mind, at least it's all cleared up now."

"Yep, yes, of course. Water under the bridge."

"We won't dwell on the past."

"Nope. No regrets."

"Right."

"Good."

"Good."

Silence. An awkward, awkward silence.

And then:

The Doctor chuckled, and then Rose joined in, and soon, the pair of them were leaning into each other giggling hysterically.

Rose turned her head, and as she did, her forehead brushed against the Doctor's chin and he stopped laughing, instead choosing to watch her giggle into his neck. He shivered involuntarily, and prayed to all the gods he didn't believe in that she wouldn't notice. She didn't make any comment about it, so he reckoned his prayers had been answered by someone. His arm wrapped around her waist and held her to him; anchored her to him even, and he didn't want to let go of his laughing, beautiful Rose. Not ever.

Her laughter faded out and she brought her head up, wiping her eyes. "Oh god, what're we _like?" _she mumbled.

"What indeed," he replied, his eyes fixated on her happy face.

They were both silent for a few moments again, staring into each other's eyes. And yet, this time, it wasn't awkward.

Indeed, some unspoken declarations seemed to pass between them.

Rose's eyes widened slightly, and she bit her bottom lip, and the Doctor's Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed thickly. Simultaneously, he leaned downwards as she leaned upwards, and then –

"When do you suppose it happened?" the Doctor whispered, his words ghosting over her lips; the place where she thought _his _lips were going to land.

She blinked quickly, dismissing those disallowed thoughts from her mind. "What's that?" she asked hesitantly.

He tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear affectionately, and inhaled a deep breath, before letting it out just as quickly so that it whooshed across her mouth and cheeks.

Rose laid her hand just below his jaw line, resting against his neck as she prompted him to answer her. "Doctor? When did what happen?"

He gave a shaky laugh. "Just...er, just...weelll...um..." Another deep breath, and then... "When did we fall in love?" he asked her softly.

Startled, and with no protestations or denials ready this time, Rose gaped at him.

He intertwined his right hand with her left, and brought their joined hands to rest against his chest in the small gap between their bodies.

After a few minutes, Rose recovered herself, finally realising the answer to his question. "Doctor?"

"Yeah?" he responded, smiling happily that she wasn't squirming away from him and in actual fact was possibly about to answer his question.

"I think we've been a bit stupid," she replied carefully.

He frowned uneasily. "What do you mean?"

"Why did we even bother denying it before?" she mused, and he grinned.

"_Exactly!_"

"We've been in denial for months," she informed him seriously.

"Oh yes," he agreed.

"We've been in love with each other for months," she added.

"Oh yes," he said again.

"I don't think we should deny it anymore," she improvised.

"Oh, me neither," he replied.

"I think we should accept it."

"Me too. Nothing we can do about it really, is there? Not our fault."

"Course it isn't. It's...it's the universe's fault."

"Precisely," he grinned.

"But it'll be your fault that you get a whack on the head in thirty seconds," she said gravely.

"What? What? Why?" he asked, puzzled, and a little fearful.

"Because if you don't kiss me soon I'm going to _force_ myself on you with such a...er, force...that I'll end up shoving you in the chest, thus shoving you off the chair and onto the floor, and then splat, bang, your head hits the - "

He kissed her then, partly to shut her up. Mostly because he loved her, and really, really, really wanted to kiss her, though.

She pulled back, breathless. " – grating," she wheezed out, finishing her sentence, before inhaling quickly then sealing her lips to his again.

...

_Later. A lot later. And by 'a lot,' we are talking __**several hours.**_

"Rose," he whispered into her ear, a hint of amusement heavy in his quiet voice. "Guess what?"

"What?" she mumbled sleepily.

"Da Nile's not just a river in Egypt," he joked, before chuckling to himself.

Rose groaned and rolled over, mumbling, "I can't believe you just said that."

He reached his arm out to drag her back against him, beaming into the darkness. He pressed a kiss to her shoulder. "Sorry. Wanted to say that all night, but was a bit too busy to bring it up."

She couldn't help but laugh. "You're an idiot."

"So are you," he retorted, nuzzling her neck with his nose.

"Are you going to let me sleep?"

"Are you going to let us do what we just did again when you wake up?" he asked, feeling some negotiating was in order.

She giggled. "I plan on letting us do nothing else but that for the whole of tomorrow," she informed him. "As long as I'm not too tired," she added as an afterthought.

"Nighty night then. Get some sleep. Big day ahead," he whispered, kissing her temple.

Rose giggled again, and shortly dozed off.

"Love you, Rose Tyler," he mumbled into her hair, hugging her close.

Even in her sleep, Rose Tyler smiled.

...

**A/N: Hi everyone :) Hope you liked this oneshot. Thanks to all yous who keep reviewing, I love you muchly :D xxx**


	7. Not Romantic

**a/n: Rose and the Doctor are having a break from running for the evening, in more ways than one. Hope you enjoy! :D**

**Not Romantic**

_**He wasn't trying to be romantic. No. Not at all. Of course not. Don't be silly. Him = Time Lord = no romance. **_

_**Right. Glad that's sorted.**_

She couldn't help but think about it, with them both laying there together like that. All of it, it seemed so real, so amazing, so permenant. She couldn't imagine ever not travelling with him. This was going to be her life now; him and her, travelling the stars together hand in hand. But one day...one day he'd have to lose her. She'd...and he'd...

Oh dear, she was pondering again. Which would do neither if them any good. Especially with the implication of her one day dying hanging between her question:

"Will you miss me? When I'm gone?" Rose asked gently, already suspecting – well, _hoping_ – she knew the answer.

"Nah," he sniffed indifferently, choosing to watch the sight in front of him, rather than succumb to gazing into her chocolate brown eyes.

Rose raised an eyebrow, her lips upturned in a small smirk, and after a few moments of her disbelieving silence, he finally met her gaze.

"I think even if I'd never met you I'd miss you," he replied softly.

She snorted. "That sounds a bit romantic. Like it's from a rom-com or something," Rose laughed.

He wrinkled his nose. "Romantic? Nah. Just the truth."

"Right. Well. Thanks," she replied slowly, her brow furrowing.

"My pleasure."

He turned back to watch the fireworks.

"It doesn't really make sense, though," Rose pressed.

"No?" he answered, without looking.

"No."

"Oh. I thought it sounded quite _poignant_."

"You mean, _romantic,_" she smirked.

Again, he wrinkled his nose in distaste. "No. Not romantic. I don't do romantic," he insisted.

"Right."

Neither spoke for several minutes, both enjoying the display. Rose inched closer to him when she thought he was too engrossed in what was in front of him to notice.

"What do you mean it doesn't make sense?" he asked abruptly, turning his attention to her face again when he'd both pondered over the question and not looked at her face for far too long, in his opinion. He then realised their faces were now very close. She must've crept closer to him while he was distracted. Mind you, it was a bit cold, so he could hardly blame her from wanting to get a bit closer to him. For his body heat and all that. And it wasn't like he minded her snuggling into his side; far from it, in fact. Maybe it would've been chivalrous of him to offer her his coat, or at least let them both lie on it, to put a layer between her and the ground. Like back with the apple-grass, he remembered fondly.

But then again, best not overdo these things, or else she'll read something into it - he'd already inadvertently given off the romantic vibe once this evening.

Weelll, maybe twice, if you counted the fact that they were spending the night lying on soft grass watching fireworks.

Three, if you take into account the fact that said fireworks were in Paris, around the Eiffel Tower.

Okay, fine, _four _times, if you were to count the erm, candlelit meal they just ate – but seriously, that wasn't his _intention_; it was the only place they could find that wasn't full, and...

...ignore the fact that he'd already booked the table. Just...just ignore that. Ignore it! He wasn't romantic. This wasn't a...a _date. _Certainly not. He just wanted to cheer her up after the exhausting and somewhat depressing week they'd had.

So this wasn't a date, just him giving her a bit of break. Something for her to smile about. Anyway, according to her, he didn't do _dating and dancing, _and that was fine by him. More than fine. Absolutely, no-question-about-it fine.

_And, _anyway, why would he offer her his coat when her being cold gave him the chance to cuddle her closer? And...

Okay, he didn't just think that. If he started thinking like that, it'd totally contradict his insistence that he was _not _being romantic. It was a bit of a bad omen that he _always _thought things like that, but never mind. Right. Look. This wasn't a date.

(Now, he kept telling himself this, but did he really believe it?)

This wasn't some grand romantic gesture. And it certainly wasn't him, using the cold as an excuse to hug her and...oh, wait, she just said something...

"Doctor, how could you miss me if you never even met me? Hmm? It's impossible," Rose replied, and the Doctor came out of his rambling reverie to concentrate on her words.

Except, he got a bit distracted. His gaze flickered to her hand, which was inconspicuously resting on his forearm. Not that he minded. His arm was a bit cold, and her hand was warm, and...

He cleared his throat. "I just would."

"You wouldn't know what you were missing," Rose countered, amusement dancing in her eyes.

"Yeah. I would."

"How come?"

He sighed wistfully. "Oh, so many reasons. For one, I'm a Time Lord, remember, so I can see a multitude of different things that could possibly happen."

Rose thought that over. "Wait, so you knew that I would come travelling with you before all that happened?" she asked, a bit angrily, he thought with a wince.

"No, I didn't say that."

"Good, 'cos that'd be like I had no...well, no free will," she said, her eyes crinkling while she screwed up her face adorably, trying to work out whether she'd really care or not, when it came to him. Then she realised, of course she would. She was still Rose Tyler, stubborn as hell. She hated it when the Doctor decided things for her, even when he was doing it because '_he knew best' _or whatever. Hmph.

"What I meant was, I can see, in here," he continued, gesturing to his head. "Different what-ifs and could-bes and at that time, I had no idea I was going to meet someone that changed my life, but now I couldn't imagine not being wit..." he trailed off when he realised Rose was staring at him. "What?"

Rose shook her head. "Nothing. Just...no, it doesn't matter." Changed his life?

"No, go on," he prompted.

"It's not important, you carry on," she insisted. Changed his_ life? _Well, yeah, she supposed she had changed his life – now, he had someone to show the universe to and have a certain responsibility for and that and...but, _still. _That could've been anyone. Changed his life? Did he really mean her? And – oh, he was narrowing his eyes at her now. "Seriously, it's fine, go on," she told him, with an encouraging smile.

"Right. Weeelll, if I hadn't have met you that day, I reckon I'd feel...well, it's like when you walk into a room, and then you completely forget why you walked in there in the first place, yeah? You try and try to remember why you went in there, and sometime you're lucky and when you retrace your steps something'll jog your memory. But in this case, I wouldn't exactly be able to do that. I wouldn't be able to grasp a hold of a memory of fall – _meet_ing you, and yet I'd feel as though something were missing."

Rose shifted slightly, suddenly very aware of his gaze on her and her blushing cheeks. Her shoulder unintentionally bumped his, and instead of pulling back, she let herself lean into him slightly.

"So..." she started. But she was still as confused as before their conversation had developed, and she shrugged. "I s'pose," she said instead, in some sort of acknowledgement.

"I'd see people every day, doing what we do. Weeelll, not exactly, obviously – not many people in the universe travel through time and space in a TARDIS; in fact, we are the only privileged two," he clarified unnecessarily, with a cursory grin and wink. Which consequently made her blush again, but he didn't notice; it was dark, and the fireworks were coming to a stop and therefore so were the soft glows and sparkles of colour that had been lighting up Rose's face for him so far tonight. "But you know - the friendship stuff," he continued. "The...the hand-holding and hugging and all that. I'd see other people share that and miss the fact that I didn't have it."

"But..." she pondered. "But that's you just being envious, or missing, like, an idea of meeting someone and being friends with them. Not _me_, necessarily," she argued. "And anyway, even if you hadn't met me, you'd have met someone else, and experienced the same sorts of stuff with them, right?"

The Doctor looked at her meaningfully, but he suspected she'd never realise just how special she was. How special to _him, _she was. "I don't think so."

"But you wouldn't have been alone forever. You'd have picked someone up sooner or later. Or they'd have picked you," she considered, not even realising she'd begun to run her fingers softly along his arm.

(She did briefly wonder why she felt so uneasy thinking of him being with someone else rather than her, however. Then she realised that she knew why, so she should stop kidding herself with that old denial trick.)

"True," he granted. "But it wouldn't have been the same, because they wouldn't have been you."

He vaguely realised that this conversation was leading him to admit a few things that he thought he'd be keeping to himself for eternity. But before he could dwell on that for too long, he had better things to realise, and he swallowed thickly when Rose's fingers made their way to his wrist, slipping under the sleeves of both his coat and jacket.

He didn't think she realised what she was doing, so he didn't stop her. Or else she might feel embarrassed or something.

Plus, you know, it felt quite nice. Her feather-light touch made him shiver in a way he hadn't shivered in...ooh, at least three centuries.

Maybe longer.

She stroked his palm with her thumb.

He swallowed.

Probably longer.

"Yeah, but it's all just circumstance, right? Not like...fate or destiny – you don't believe in that stuff," she pointed out.

"Maybe not, but I think you're..." he paused hesitantly. Should he really tell her? It'd be the perfect time to, he knew that – what with where the conversation had been going and her fingers caressing his wrist and Paris and fireworks and candlelit dinner and...that feeling in the air. That...that weird feeling. Lovely, enticing feeling. A feeling of...well, of anticipation. Excitement. A feeling that he'd begun to notice came hand-in-hand with watching Rose Tyler, being with Rose Tyler, talking to Rose Tyler, hugging Rose Tyler...et cetera.

He knew that she could feel the pound of his pulse against her fingers, and he knew that her heart was beating just as fast, because in the gorgeously tense, silent bubble they were residing in right now, on their little hill overlooking the city that was alive with the laughter and singing that they couldn't hear, only feel in their hearts, because she was listening for his answer and he was looking at her, and really, did people expect him to be able to listen to lots of things at once?

Because of course, he was a Time Lord, with superior senses and such, and he could usually concentrate on a whole medium of tasks at the same time, but listening out for all things Rose and nothing else was something he was doing now, and a bomb could have gone off a few metres behind them and he wouldn't have heard it, or given it the time of day because, oh, Time; Time could be running out soon, and if he didn't tell her, if he didn't just let her know the very simple fact, the thing that'd been driving the conversation from its very instigation, then he'd never say it, and maybe one day it would be too late, and he didn't want it to be too late, and he...oh, he _wanted _her to know. And he wanted her to feel it too.

"What, Doctor?" she prompted, tugging his sleeve when he appeared to go off in some sort of trance.

He snapped out of his musings, and took a deep breath. "I think you're meant to be here. With me. I think..." he trailed off, his voice cracking. He tried to slow down his heart and mind and just remember that he _knew _all this, he didn't just think it, so there was nothing to be afraid of; not really.

"Yeah?" she asked nervously, her eyes wide and expectant.

He tried again. "I think me and you...we're...weeelll, put it this way: I was meant to find you, and you were meant to save me, and I was meant to ask you to come with me, and you were meant to refuse, then I was meant to do something I've never done before, and ask again, and you were meant to say yes, and then, we, _we, Rose Tyler, _me and you, the Doctor and Rose, Rose and the Doctor..." He was smiling now; his smile that was reserved for her and only her; the slow, soft smile that she knew meant he was actually, really, _really_, real-life _happy._

"We...?" she urged, her voice sounding suspiciously high-pitched, and a mirroring smile forming on her face.

The Doctor beamed at her. "_We_, are meant to be here. You and me. And – right, you're going to have to suspend your disbelief here for a moment, because I'm going to tell you something very, very important. Okay?"

She nodded, biting her lip in apprehension.

"Right. Okay. Now, I'm not, in any way, shape or form, trying to be romantic here, okay? But..." he trailed off again, steadying his breathing.

Rose raised her eyebrows. "But...?"

"_But,_ I think, Rose Tyler, despite the er...small matter of us being different species, and...well, me being ridiculously too old for you, I _think, _it may be a bit possible, that we are meant to be together."

Her breath hitched and she bit her lip harder.

"I mean, think about it," he continued, as if trying to justify it all. "All those times we've been separated, or I've sent you home, or whatever...you've always come back to me. I've always, _always_, got you back. And so I'm thinking, perhaps, that the universe has a) decided to be very kind to me for once, and b) decided that it cannot possibly even _try _to take you away, because you're far too stubborn, and I'm far too possessive, and we're both far too in lo - "

Rose's grip on his wrist tightened dramatically when she heard him almost say those words, and she stared at him silently, wondering if, now that he'd caught himself before they'd accidently tumbled from his lips, he would _ever_ actually confess them out loud.

The Doctor stared silently back at her, his eyes wide, his mouth still half-open. Half-through saying the word.

Something in the air between them made them both realise, simultaneously, that their bodies should no longer have a few inches between them.

Perhaps it was the cold breeze, but Rose fancied it was some sort of electrical pulse, heightened sexual tension passing through the space between them, that initiated their gravitation towards each other. He might insist on not being a romantic, but she had no problem with letting herself dwell on those wonderful clichés of romantic films and such.

Anyway, fact was, they both leaned in; the Doctor balanced on his elbows so that he could hover over Rose as she silently took his lead and retreated to lie on her back. Her fingers left his wrist so that her arms could wrap around his waist and pull him closer, so close that their foreheads pressed together and their unsteady breaths were mingled. His knee nudged its way in between her legs, and she closed her eyes, praying that she wasn't dreaming all of this. Opening her eyes again, she found herself staring into the Doctor's dark eyes, and nothing, _nothing, _would stop her from kissing him now, because she _so _wasn't dreaming, and he was practically on top of her, and they were meant to be together, he'd said so himself.

And who could possibly argue with him on that? Not her, that was for sure.

...

_A little while later..._

"Oh wow," Rose breathed, her heart pounding.

"Yeah," agreed the Doctor, panting softly.

Rose turned onto her side and leaned against him. "You were right," she murmured happily.

"Course I was." He paused, stroking her hair lightly. "About what?"

"We are meant to be together," she beamed at him.

The Doctor grinned. "Yes we are." He looked at her seriously. "However, I really think we should move."

Rose looked around them. "Ah. Yeah. Forgot," she giggled.

"If we got arrested, I'm pretty sure the romance of the evening would officially be dead."

"Romance, eh? What happened to you not doing romantic?" she teased, pressing a kiss to his collar bone.

He sniffed huffily. "A man can change his mind, can't he?" he grumbled. Then he gasped. "Especially when you do that..."

Rose smirked. "Come on then. Let's go home. And you can show me both how romantic..." She paused, considering. "...and how _not _very romantic you can be," she grinned suggestively.

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "That, Rose Tyler, is an offer I could _never_ refuse." He glanced down at himself. "Better put my coat on first though."

She giggled again. "Yeah, think you'd better."

...

**A/N: Reviews are loved as always :) xxx**


	8. Accidental Agreement

**Accidental Agreement**

It comes out rather unexpectedly, one day.

Over tea.

And biscuits. Never forget the biscuits.

But yeah.

Unexpected, to say the least.

And it comes out as a question.

Well.

It's not so much a question as it is a statement of fact.

She just says it.

And he doesn't deny it.

In fact, he agrees.

Which again, is unexpected. But also rather wondrously pleasant, and her heart beats uncontrollably and her breath comes in sharp and shaky at the very simple, monosyllabic response that her not-question gets.

_And this is how it begins:_

Imagine, if you will, the very domestic scene of the Doctor making tea. It's a bit odd, really, to think of him doing such a thing. But he does it, of course he does. Just as he does other silly, almost too-_human_ things.

Like ironing.

Yeah. Okay, fine. He doesn't do _that. _Iron his own shirt? Him? How ridiculous. That's what Rose is for.

Which, in itself, is a little odd. Because seriously; Rose? Ironing? That's almost even _more _disconcerting. For the very simple fact that she is really rather atrocious at this domestic lark herself. She burns his shirts. She also burns toast; she's not so good in the kitchen either. But there was indeed this one time where she was _forced _to iron his shirts. Some sort of lost bet or something. Not important.

And so, no one does the ironing. But that's okay, because there's lots of futuristic technology to deal with that.

On a side note, taking into account their inability to look after_ themselves_ properly, the TARDIS decides to clean herself, lest she risks her two occupants setting her on fire with the Hoover or something.

So anyway. The Doctor makes tea, and he does other stuff as well. Not ironing, not vacuuming, but he does do one thing that a lot of people – a lot of his friends, even, including Rose, not so long ago – do not think he does.

_But that comes later._

He's pouring out the tea into their well-used mugs when she stumbles in, her hair dishevelled and her eyes sleepy and her mouth yawning really, really widely.

He smiles at her warmly, and hands her the white, pink-spotted mug. "Morning," he greets joyfully.

"Mmmphn," she mutters, taking a sip of her tea. They sit opposite each other at the kitchen table, and after a few more sips, Rose appears to wake up fully. "Morning," she replies properly.

"Nice sleep?" he asks, taking a bite of the toast he's made earlier.

"Alright, ta," she answers, leaning forward and stealing a slice off his plate.

"Oi!" he chastises half-heartedly. "Get your own."

"It would've been nice if you'd made some for me," Rose counters, taking a bite and widening her eyes theatrically. "Mmmm," she mumbles appreciatively.

He gives her a reproachful look, then grins at her. "I'm going to take you somewhere brilliant today, Rose Tyler," he announces.

"Oh yeah?" she replies excitedly. "Where?" She leans forward again, and takes two of the biscuits from his stack next to his mug.

Grabbing her wrist playfully, and taking the biscuits back, he entwines their fingers absently. "We're going to visit the Great Palace of Mosneska on the planet Zelfador! It's beautiful, Rose," he tells her wistfully. "Got a great banana grove, too, and..."

He continues narrating to her the wonderful features of the palace for another ten minutes, eyes bright and happy, and he's unconsciously stroking her thumb with his as they hold hands across the table. This, and not the information guide he's giving her, is what Rose's attention focuses in on. She brings her mug to her lips with her free hand, hiding a smile, and nods along in all the right places of his monologue.

The Doctor eventually pauses for breath, and Rose takes the opportunity to ask, "Can I dress up?"

Momentarily flabbergasted by her question, the Doctor's mouth falls open. "Wh...what?"

"You said it was the Great Palace, yeah? So what can I wear? I should dress up special for a palace, surely," she reasons, gently extricating her hand from his so that she can tie her dishevelled hair up into a bun.

"Weeelll..." he begins slowly. "Nothing too..." he trails off, looking sheepish.

"Too what?" she prompts.

"Revealing," he mutters quickly. "They've got quite stern rules and sensibilities about attire. You'll probably find something in the wardrobe that'll be suitable, but yeah, nothing too..." He accidently eyes her chest for the briefest moment before continuing hurriedly, "Lacy, transparent, non-existent."

She scoffs, folding her arms. "When've I ever worn something like that?"

His eyes glaze over slightly and he looks up at the ceiling nonchalantly. "Ooh, just last week you wore that little lilac number to dinner with the Etorial Empress, and let me tell you, her husband's eyes were _not _on _her _cleavage."

Rose blushes and coughs a little awkwardly. "Well. I wasn't to know," she defends. "And anyway, you said it looked lovely!" she realises then, with a triumphant smirk.

The look on his face as he meets her eyes again will fuel her dreams for at least ten years, she decides. "It did. That's the point," he replies, in a low, sort of _sultry_ voice that she really isn't expecting so early on in conversation. Plus, although they often flirt mercilessly like this, it is very early in the morning, and she isn't quite awake enough to react as calmly and easily as she usually does.

She bites her lip to hold back a _too-_flirtatious remark, and he leans forward abruptly.

"But you know. When we're on our own. Not amongst...others," he continues, with a delightful grin on his face, as if he isn't implying what he is implying, and instead simply talking about the Great Palace of Wherever He Said again.

She clears her throat. "I'll keep that in mind," she replies, a relentlessly dangerous tilt to her voice. She flushes pink again, and, metaphorically rolling her eyes at her own bashfulness (because, seriously, since when have Tyler women been _bashful?_ she asks herself) she leans forward herself to feign utter confidence.

"Good," the Doctor replies, and it comes out a little like a high-pitched squeak. He leans closer still; almost nose-to-nose. And if his tie slips into her mug because of the way he's leaning across the table, neither of them notice. There's always this unstoppable force, see, which pulls them closer to each other without either of them truly noticing. Which is why random objects or people that get caught in the crossfire of said gravitational pull often don't even get a considerate glance; Rose's half-full mug of tea is no exception.

"'Cos you'd like that, yeah?" she continues, tongue between teeth, laughter bubbling up within her. "Just us in the TARDIS - you, all manly and sexy in your pinstripes and me, in a little lacy dress?"

His Adam's apple bobs as he struggles to find a response to that other than, "Guh..."

She smiles at that reaction, glad to see that he hasn't been expecting her to retaliate in this way. "I'll take that as a yes."

He stares at her unblinkingly. "Maybe you should."

There are a few tense, electricity-filled moments where neither of them say another word, and consequently, neither of them are courageous enough to move that _little _bit closer and touch the other's lips with theirs.

Then, as abruptly as he started the conversation, the Doctor leans away, his back against his chair again as he frowns at the table. "We have to get some more of these, they're lovely," he mutters, gesturing to the knocked over pile of biscuits by his mug.

"You love me," she says then, a bit irritated at his lack of continuity regarding their banter, and it's not really a question, remember.

"Yeah," he says, an answer to her non-question or maybe just agreeing with her statement of fact, and starts munching on another biscuit.

He stills his movements, realising what he's just agreed to. His eyes wide, his mouth dry, he tries to clear his throat, and starts coughing wildly.

"You okay?" she asks innocently, as bemused at his coughing fit as she is concerned, getting up from her chair and patting him on the back, whilst trying to control her own joyous _yes!heagreed!yay!-_dance she has going on internally.

"Yeah," he wheezes out, before grabbing her wrist. "Rose, I didn't - "

" - You didn't?" she interrupts with a raised eyebrow. "You didn't what? Say what you said, or mean what you said?"

"Wha – what? No, I was going to say, I didn't swallow a bit of biscuit properly. We should really stop buying banana flavoured cookies, because they are so delicious that I just wolf them down without chewing properly, and then a few crumbs get caught in the back of my throat and I can't swallow, and - "

" – Doctor," Rose interjects. "Don't avoid the issue."

He looks up at her; sees her teasing smile, all tongue and teeth, and a raised eyebrow, a darker colour than her hair, and her hand on her hip, looking all bossy and lovely and he realises that he should really, _really_ admit to what he just admitted to more often because he means it and she deserves to know that.

"Rose..." he begins, tugging his ear nervously.

"Yes, Doctor?" she answers patiently.

"Um..."

Rose twists and leans against the table, watching him carefully. "Yeah?"

"I...the thing is, I..."

"Yes?" she urges him hopefully.

"Oh, what the hell," he mutters to himself, before standing up and hauling Rose close to him.

"Hello," she grins.

"Hello," he agrees, and he ducks his head to press his lips to hers.

And thus the agreement is sealed with a kiss.


	9. Let Me In

**Let Me In!**

"Doctor!" she exclaimed, banging on the door.

"No. You're not coming in. You insulted me. And now you can stay out there."

"Oh for goodness' sake!" she sighed dramatically. "Can't you take a joke?"

"Hmph," was his reply.

"Honestly, you're _sooo_ childish."

"Not helping your situation, Rose Tyler."

"Let me in."

"No."

"_Please _let me in."

"Nope!"

"Doctor! Let. Me. In."

"No!"

"You can't lock me out of my own home, this is ridiculous!"

"My TARDIS."

"Yeah, which you invited me along in. Which I have a key to. Which I have a room in, filled with my stuff."

"Yes, well, your key is currently in my hand, and as for the stuff in your room? That can be easily jettisoned out into the nearest black hole."

"You wouldn't," she said warningly.

"Wouldn't I?" he countered.

"Nope."

"Why do you think I wouldn't?"

"You just wouldn't be able to."

"No?"

"No."

"What makes you so sure?"

"You haven't left yet."

"Doesn't mean I'm not going to."

"You wouldn't just leave me."

"Oh wouldn't I?"

"No."

"How come?"

"You wouldn't want to face a Jackie Tyler slap, for one."

"I'll just avoid landing in the 21st century then."

"As if," she scoffed.

"Are you insulting my driving now, Rose Tyler?"

"Yes. I am. Now let me in!"

"Definitely not letting you in now."

"Doctor!" she whined.

"Rose!" he imitated.

"Please!"

"No."

"I need to use the loo."

"There's a perfectly good hedge next to you."

"You're disgusting."

"Nice. That kind of flattery's gonna really get you in."

"You're gorgeous."

"Really? Ah, thanks! Good to know." He paused. "You're still not coming in."

"I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean to offend your manly pride earlier."

"Apology...sort of accepted."

"So can I come in?"

"No."

She let out a shriek of frustration. "_Why?"_

"I don't think you've learnt your lesson."

"Oh my _god, _you're annoying."

"Again with the flattery. Thanks."

"Doctor!"

"No."

"How long am I gonna have to stand out here for?"

"Dunno."

"Doctor!"

"Maybe I _should _just leave you here. Then you'd learn your lesson."

"Well. Like I said. You wouldn't be able to."

"Yes I would."

"No you wouldn't! You'd be lost without me."

"Not true."

"It so is. You couldn't leave me stranded here. You'd feel too guilty. And you'd miss me too much."

"Oh really? Think highly of yourself, don't you?"

"Well, it's true. Go on, say it then. Say you wouldn't miss me."

"I...I wouldn't...well, I wouldn't not not not miss you."

"Which means you'd miss me."

"Shut up."

"That's a bit rude, Doctor."

"I'm going now."

"Yeah. Sure. Okay. Run away from the uncomfortable conversation why don't you!"

"Rose."

"Doctor," she countered. Then, "Let me in?"

"Nope!"

"You can't just..._evict _me!"

"We signed no contract."

"Oh my god! There's someone here! They're going to eat me!"

"You're a rubbish liar, Rose Tyler. To me, anyway."

She huffed in frustration. "So are you."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Whatever."

"Let me in!"

"No!"

"You're so sad. What's the point of locking me out if you're just gonna stand against the door and talk to me anyway? See, told you you'd miss me – you already are!"

"Fine. I won't talk to you anymore then."

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

"Doctor. I'm cold."

"Tough."

"You just spoke!"

"Hmph."

"Please let me in. I miss _you_."

"What?"

"I said please let me in."

"And the next bit?"

"What?"

"What did you say after that?"

"Nothing."

"Rose...?"

"What?"

"I...nothing. Nothing, doesn't matter."

"Doctor, please can I come in now. I am sorry. Truly, I am. From the bottom of my heart."

"Then why are you trying not to laugh as you say that, hmmm?"

"Sorry...it's just...well, it is funny. You have to admit that."

"No it isn't! It's horrible. Embarrassingly horrible, and you should be ashamed of yourself for saying such a thing to me."

"Why?"

"Because you've upset me."

"Upset you."

"Yes."

"No I haven't, you're just being proud and stubborn. Let me in."

"No."

"Not even if I promise not to say it again?"

"No."

"Not even if I promise to never laugh at you again?"

"Not even that. Because I know you won't stick to it."

"Not even if I give you a kiss to make you feel better?"

His jaw went slack. "Huh?"

"That got your attention," she giggled.

"What?"

"Well? Would you let me in if I promise you a snog?"

"But...but you...you...you wouldn't actually do it. You're just trying to...to trick me. Not that it would work. Because I don't want you to kiss me or anything. No, of course not. Course not. Wouldn't want...that," he stuttered.

"Shame. It could be quite fun, you never know."

"Weeelll..."

"Let me in, and we could find out...?"

"Oka - wait. No! Stop...stop messing around."

"I'm not messing around. I promise you. I will genuinely kiss you if you let me in."

"No you won't. So stop teasing." He paused, reconsidering his words. "Not that I'm tempted by that offer or anything."

"Course you aren't. Not normal bloke, you, are you?"

"No, I'm n - Wait. Yes, I am! No, well...no. Yes. Maybe?"

Rose rolled her eyes. "Please let me in."

"No."

"Fine!" she sighed again. It was time to play dirty. "You know what, if you're not gonna let me in, I might as well head back to the palace. At least it's a little bit warmer in there, instead of the minus a billion it is out here. And Prince Ottivere seemed a bit of alright. He'd look after me. Who knows, maybe he'd even let me snuggle up to him in front of the fire to keep warm - "

Before she could continue, the Doctor had thrust open the TARDIS doors, stepped out, hauled Rose back a few steps, and dragged her into the console room, slamming the door behind them. Still holding her by the wrist, the Doctor stared down at Rose as she smirked up at him in victory; but her smile faltered when she saw his dark eyes. Then, before she could truly register what was happening, he'd hauled her even closer to him, tilted his head, and pressed his lips to hers forcefully.

"You will not, under any circumstances, be snuggling up to Prince _Ottivere," _the Doctor insisted when he tore his lips away, his forehead lingering against hers.

She swallowed thickly. "Okay," she agreed. Then she grinned. "See? I told you the kissing thing would be fun."

The Doctor arched an eyebrow. "That you did."

"Wanna see if it's even more fun the second time 'round?"

"I could be tempted," he said quietly, tucking a loose strand of her hair behind her ear.

"That's good," she replied.

"Yes," he agreed, staring down at her intensely.

"Yes." Rose bit her lip, looking up at him uncertainly. "So..."

"You were right. Earlier."

"Course I was. 'Bout what?"

"I would miss you," he confessed then, tracing his thumb across her cheek. "I'd miss you so much."

She fought back a smile of delight, and simply murmured, "Good."

He gave her a slow, sexy smile, and ducked his head, capturing her lips again.

It turned out that that night, kissing was still fun the forty-eighth time 'round.


	10. The Taste Test

**A/N: Set in early series 2. Hope you enjoy! xx**

**The Taste Test**

"That's the trouble, see. Now that I've changed, I've got to relearn all my favourites again. Favourite colours, favourite music, favourite films, favourite artists - "

" - favourite person?" Rose interrupted cheekily, tongue between teeth as she grinned at him.

"Nah, that one's obvious," the Doctor dismissed with a wave of a hand. Her grin widened. "It's always going to be Einstein. _Such _a good bloke. Bit thick; that theory of relativity lark was a lot down to subtle hints from me, you know," he shrugged, straightening his tie haughtily.

Her smile faded. "Right."

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Oh, your face!" he laughed. "Fine, fine – you can have top spot. Weeelll. If I'm yours," he added thoughtfully, throwing her wink.

Rose ignored the fact that she was blushing, and tried to change the subject. "So, what about food? You still gonna like bananas an unhealthy amount?"

"Hey! Nothing unhealthy about liking bananas a lot. And yes, I should think so. But other food...ooh, that's tricky. Could hate all sorts that I liked before and vice versa. New taste buds," he explained, poking his tongue out and pointing.

She nodded, suppressing her laughter with pursed lips. "So, what makes bananas so special that they survive the new taste buds, then?"

"_Inherent_ emotions towards certain things stay the same," he sighed, like it was obvious. "Hate Daleks, like bananas, love..." he trailed off, his eyes widening at his own words.

"Love what?" she prompted, arching an eyebrow at his flustered expression.

He cleared his throat awkwardly. "Oh, I don't know. Adventure? Trouble?" he sniffed, turning away from her to check the console screen needlessly.

She frowned briefly, but decided to let it go. "So, how're you gonna discover what your _new _favourite foods are?"

"Ooh, trial and error, I should think," he answered distractedly.

"That could be dangerous," she pointed out with a smile, wandering over to him and perching herself on the edge of the console, purposely invading his personal space.

He shifted closer to her subconsciously, fiddling with the console screen. "Weeelll," he drawled, going no further with his sentence.

"Well, maybe you should do a test, now, with what we've got in the kitchen. Could be fun," she shrugged non-committally.

"A test?" he echoed, turning his head to face her. He reached his arm around her to twist something behind her on the console, deliberately inching towards her as he did so.

"Yeah," she insisted, leaning ever so slightly into the brush of his arm against hers. "You know, to see what you like and what you don't like this time around...?" Rose explained exasperatedly.

"Yes," he pondered, nodding. "Yes, good idea. Would save an awful lot of time. Hmmm...to the kitchen!" he pronounced, holding out his hand for her, and Rose giggled and took it, jumping off the console.

~ / ~

Two hours later and the Doctor had tried every fruit he could possibly find, discovering that banana was indeed still his favourite and pears were his new _worst. _Next, he'd moved onto confectionary, and now...

Now, he was currently working his way through a _hugely satisfying _chocolate cake.

"Look Doctor, you've proved you like that, so let's move onto something else, eh?" Rose asked hopefully.

"Just need..." he paused scraping up another forkful and putting it into his mouth. "To make absolutely certain..." he swallowed. "That I like it."

"You're so annoying," she sighed over-dramatically. "I wanted some of that cake too, you know."

"Well, there's still a bit left. Come and get some," he offered.

Rose smiled hesitantly and stood up, shakily walking around the mass of food to kneel in front of him; they'd both been sitting cross-legged on the floor amongst the sea of delightful – and some not-so-delightful – delicacies for ages, and her legs had gone a bit numb.

She was about to take his fork out of his hands when he jerked it away.

"Let me," he muttered, scooping up some cake onto the fork. He raised it to her lips, which were quirking up in amusement. "Open up, then," he requested, when all she did was stare at him.

She cleared her throat and opened her mouth to ask him something. "Doctor, why - " but she couldn't get any further because he shoved the cake between her parted lips. Her eyes widened in surprise; even further once she realised just how gorgeous the cake was. "Mmm," she moaned in appreciation as she ate. "_God, _this is...oh, it's _amazing..."_

The Doctor watched her savour the chocolate cake with a strange feeling creeping up on him. He wasn't sure what that strange feeling meant, but it made him nervous.

Actually, he knew exactly what that strange feeling meant. And that was precisely why he felt nervous.

And when Rose kept 'mmm-ing' and 'ahh-ing,' he had this equally strange urge to taste what that chocolate cake tasted like mixed with Rose's lips. And possibly the inside of her mouth. Which was very odd, because he'd never felt the need to explore that part of her anatomy before.

Okay, so maybe that was a bit of a lie. There were several areas of Rose's anatomy he'd contemplated exploring, but he wasn't about to tell anyone else that fact. It was all extremely undignified, this business of wanting to kiss his companion, and very, very, _very_ wrong.

She licked her lips then, and the Doctor gulped. "Nice?" he asked.

"De_lic_ious," she answered, enunciating the word in a particular way that made the Doctor feel like he needed a lie down. And perhaps reconsider what his definition of 'very, very, _very _wrong' was.

"What would you like to try next?" she asked.

"You," he murmured, and then he realised what he said. The way her brow crinkled adorably in confusion gave him a clue that she was very suspicious that she'd heard him correctly. "Have. To try. This," he amended theatrically, making it look like that was what he was planning to say all along. He pointed to the Huroian bottle of drink on the floor to the left of them.

"What is it?" Rose asked.

"It's kind of like a milkshake. Only better."

Rose took a slurp of it. Which she spat back out. "That's disgusting!" she exclaimed, wiping her tongue on her hand to try and get rid of the taste.

"No it isn't, it's lovely!" defended the Doctor, picking up the bottle and examining it closely to avoid looking at Rose. In fairness, any other bloke might have been repulsed by Rose's unladylike behaviour, but he found it quite...well. Let's just say, he was even more interested in exploring her mouth now he'd just seen a glimpse of her tongue.

He himself then took a sip.

Which he spat back out. "Eugh! That's disgusting!" he echoed.

"See, I told you so," she retorted, with a roll of her eyes.

"I used to like that! It used to be quite tasty, nice tang on the tongue! Now it just tastes of rotten eggs!" he cried sulkily.

"Thank god you don't like it this time around. You'd be awful to k - " Rose began, then stopped herself abruptly.

"What?" he asked curiously, noticing her blushing cheeks. "I would be awful to what?"

"Nothing," she replied hastily. "What about this?" she offered, changing the subject. "This looks interesting." She held up a bowl of a reddy-orange mixture.

"Now _that _is Vellousion custard. Lovely!" he announced, reaching around Rose, who was still sitting in front of him, to get a spoon. He kept his gaze level with hers as he leaned forward a bit, trying to place the aforementioned cutlery.

He thought for a moment he must've imagined it when her breath hitched, but seeing as she'd done that earlier, too – when he'd done the same thing in the console room – he supposed it was highly unlikely that such an occurrence was coincidental _twice, _so allowed himself a small smile of victory.

He leant even closer, and broke her gaze by looking over her shoulder. "Where'd that spoon go?" he mumbled, not seeing it anywhere.

Rose blinked a few times, then realised something. "Ah."

"What?"

"I think...I think I might be sitting on it," she pondered.

"You 'think?' How can you not be sure if you're sitting on a spoon or not?" he retorted in disbelief.

She rolled her eyes and pushed him back a bit, so that she could get to her knees. Locating the spoon, she held it up for him. "Bet you don't want it now," she teased.

"Eugh, no," he replied. He took it from her and grinned, before throwing it over his shoulder without looking. She was impressed when she heard a clang as it fell in the sink. "I'll just have to use my fingers," he murmured, before dipping them into the gooey mixture.

Rose swallowed thickly, her eyes following the movement of his hand as he brought it to his lips and sucked.

"Mm, yeah. Still like this," he mumbled. "Try some." Rose shook her head, but the Doctor wasn't going to take no for an answer. He reckoned that by doing what he was about to do, he was going to be breaking all the rules.

But he also reckoned that he did not bloody care.

She wouldn't see anything wrong with this. He was the Doctor, and he knew she thought that this wouldn't mean remotely anything to him. No matter that she thought wrong, though; that was a good thing. It'd just occurred to him how much he could potentially get away with by simply passing it off as platonic and harmless.

Oh, he was so evil.

He dipped in his fingers again, before lifting them to her mouth this time.

"Seriously?" Rose muttered, more to herself than him. She couldn't believe he was practically asking her to lick the Vellousion custard off his fingers. His fingers that he'd just had in his _own _mouth.

"Yeah, go on, try it. You won't regret it," he insisted.

Reluctantly, Rose opened her mouth and stuck out her tongue, taking a long swipe of the mixture. "Mmm, you're right," she murmured, licking her lips. "Tasty."

The Doctor just sat still, gaping at her. For some reason, he'd failed to factor in the discomfort – or rather, very, very, _extremely_ naughty but nice feelings – that he would feel when she actually did as he suggested.

"Doctor? Am I allowed some more?" she asked innocently, sensing his reaction and decidedly _loving _it, reaching for his hand again.

He swallowed hard, his throat dry. "Yeah," he croaked out. "Of course."

"Thanks," she smirked, before sucking the remaining custard off of his index finger.

The Doctor realised something, then.

She was _so_ more evil than him.

He then seriously considered what in the name of chaos his last words should be to her if he melted his way into regeneration before her eyes right this very instant.

"This is gorgeous, this," she murmured thoughtfully, tongue darting out to catch a drop from the corner of her mouth. "What would you recommend to go with it?"

"Uh..." he floundered, mind blank as he watched her tongue studiously. "Fish fingers?" he suggested distractedly.

Rose raised her eyebrows, biting back a grin. "Right...So! What's up next? Doctor?"

The Doctor just continued to stare at her, not replying.

"Doctor?" she repeated, tilting her head closer to his, trying to jolt him out of his thoughts.

"Hmm?" he replied vaguely, his eyes searching hers.

"I said, what's up ne - " she paused, watching him lick his dry lips hesitantly, unable to continue with whatever she was saying.

"Rose," he said, voice low. He closed his eyes, squeezed them shut and took in a deep breath.

She sat very still, waiting patiently for his next move. Half of her resentfully thought that he would stand up and leave her sitting there, to get away from the intense situation. The other half of her was coiled in buoyant anticipation.

He opened his eyes again, and her shining, hopeful gaze undid him.

Forgetful of his sticky fingers, he reached his hands out, entwining them into her hair as he brought his mouth to hers.

After several long moments of participating in his new favourite activity, the Doctor pulled back to let her breathe. He looked into her eyes carefully, trying to judge her reaction. She had kissed him back, yes; but how did she really _feel _about it?

"Doctor," Rose murmured, slowly standing up.

He swallowed hard, guessing he was going to find out. "Yes?" he squeaked. He didn't much like the distance she had put between them, so he stood up too.

"Are you just...experimenting? Playing? Um...messing around?" she asked him, her teeth worrying her lip as she spoke. "Or...?"

"Or?" he repeated quickly, yearning to bring his hands to her waist but refraining; rubbing his neck nervously instead, to occupy one of his hands, at least.

"Or...or are you, er, I mean, is this...? Will this be...um..." she sighed to herself in frustration, not sure how to phrase her concerns. "Was that just you being silly?"

He raised his eyebrows. "Well, possibly. That depends, really."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"On what?"

"On what you want it to mean," he answered. "The...er...kiss, that is."

"Well, I don't mind," she said hurriedly. "It was...nice..."

"Nice?" He wrinkled his nose in blatant offence.

"More than nice," she relented, starting to smile. "You tasted like chocolate and custard. And...and...well, I dunno what else, but all this taste-testing of yours has resulted in a lovely combination." She neglected to mention the faint trace of rotten eggs; seeing as she had tried it too, the taste of the Huroian liquid was _mostly_ cancelled out. And she wasn't one to want to ruin a 'moment.'

The Doctor equalled her grin. "Weeellll," he said smugly.

"So...was that kiss just part of the test? Something to tamper your piqued curiosity?"

"It was me being inherently me," he replied.

"Oh, I _see_," she giggled happily. "So...you wanted to kiss me before?"

"Yep," the Doctor smiled. "Hate Daleks, like bananas, love Rose," he continued softly, lifting his hand to stroke her cheek.

A lump came to her throat and she pressed her lips together firmly, telling herself not to be so sappy.

"Can I kiss you again?" he asked gently. "'Cos you know, that might be my favourite thing ever."

Rose beamed at him. "Oh, I dunno. Maybe that's something you haven't experienced yet..."

"Is that so?" he smirked, waggling his eyebrows at her as he leant closer.

"It is indeed so," she grinned, untying his tie as they kissed again.

He glanced down at her hands' movement and laughed shakily. "Perhaps, um, perhaps we should...vacate the kitchen, then..."

"Hmmm?" she replied innocently, eyes on his neck as she contemplated where to place her lips next.

"Well, you know. Hard floor versus soft mattress...not to mention, health and uh, safety reasons..." he gulped.

Her eyes flitted back to meet his and she couldn't resist the urge to tease. "That's a bit presumptuous of you, Doctor. I was only loosening your tie."

He gaped at her for a long moment. "Uh..."

Rose grinned and slid her hands into his hair. "Of course, your presumptions are often right," she shrugged nonchalantly.

"That they are," he murmured quietly, inclining his head towards hers once more.

Before their lips could connect, however, Rose dropped her voice to a tantalising whisper and said, "Bring the Vellousian custard."

And then she span out of his embrace, out of the kitchen, and down the corridor, leaving the Time Lord jaw-slacked and motionless, standing in the middle of the floor amongst the contents of the cupboards and fridge. He glanced down half-heartedly at all the mess, pondering only briefly whether he should tidy up first; certain things needed to be kept refrigerated, after all.

Then he shook himself out of that time-wasting idea, and just picked up the wonderful, edible creation that Rose had requested him to, before setting off on his mission to find her.


	11. The Jumper

_**The Jumper**_

She sat down, cradling his jumper in her hands with a small smile on her face. Biting her lip, hesitant, she let it rest in her lap for a moment and took off her t-shirt, chucking it haphazardly over her shoulder. Then, she picked up the jumper, and pulled it over her head, eagerly slipping her arms into the sleeves even as she worried about the consequences of her actions.

It was soft against her skin, just as it had been soft against her arms when she and the Doctor, her first Doctor, had hugged close. She lifted her arm to her nose, inhaling the smell of him, letting her eyes drift closed. She imagined him holding her, his arms wrapped around her instead of her own, stroking a finger across her shoulder comfortingly.

A small squeak of the floor made her eyes snap open, alerted to the presence of someone else in the room. At the sight of him, her Doctor, her newer Doctor, and his accompanying arched eyebrow and hands-in-pockets stance, she swallowed, offering him a sheepish smile.

"You alright?" he asked quietly, looking a little worried.

"Yeah," she breathed out, still smiling. Because she was alright. She was more than alright, really. She was just feeling a little nostalgic - in a good way, though.

But he didn't seem to think so. His travelled all over her face, his eyes searching hers, then his gaze slipped lower to stare at his jumper that adorned her upper body. "Are you sure?" he persisted, voice low.

"Yes," she insisted firmly, rolling her eyes. Then she looked down at herself, feeling mildly embarrassed. "Sorry...um..." she trailed off, wondering how to explain herself.

"You don't need to be sorry," he replied hurriedly, frowning. He sat down cross-legged in front of her, absent-mindedly undoing the buttons of his jacket. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," she tutted, looking back at him. "Why would you think something's wrong?"

"Weeelll, it's not every day I find you in the wardrobe room wearing my clothes," he pointed out, tilting his head in bewilderment.

"Doesn't mean something's wrong," she pointed out right back.

"Right," he smiled, nodding. Then, he took in a deep breath, before asking nervously, "Do you miss how I used to be?"

Her eyes squinted at him in confusion. "Course I do."

"Oh," he wheezed, looking positively shattered.

"Hey!" she cried out, alarmed at his hurt expression. "Don't get all..." she trailed off, sighing. "I'm allowed to miss you even though you're still here, right? I mean, I get that you're the same person, really, and I'm completely fine with the fact that you've changed, too. I still love travelling with you, being with you...that hasn't changed. But yeah, of course I'm gonna miss the old you – you were the you who first whisked me away back then, remember."

His eyes softened and he smiled gratefully at her. "Yeah, I know."

She held out her hand, and he took it instantly, making her grin. She squeezed his hand reassuringly, then looked at where her other hand was fiddling with the hem of the jumper. "I should probably take it off," she murmured ponderingly.

"It's alright," he shrugged, speaking softly. "You can keep it. If you want," he added, not meeting her eye.

"Yeah?" she replied hopefully. "Won't that be...weird?" she asked, a smile in her voice.

"Why?" he asked simply, finally looking back at her.

"Well. Just, you know. Wearing your old jumper...I thought you might be a bit freaked out by it."

"You look nice in it though. Nicer than I ever did," he murmured, his eyes full of affection.

She scoffed. "That I find hard to believe," she replied, which proceeded to her cheeks inflaming. "Uh, I mean..." she mumbled, embarrassed.

He chuckled then, low in his throat, and tugged on her hand, pulling her towards him. She went gratefully, rather ungracefully shifting her legs so that she could mould into his offered hug, hiding her flushed face from his laughing eyes.

His arms enveloped around her and he held her close to him, still chuckling softly in her ear. "Hmm, this jumper's soft," he mumbled appreciatively, running his hand up and down her back.

Rose shivered at his unexpected touch, and tucked her arms beneath his open jacket to wrap around his waist. "Well, yeah. Didn't you ever think so when you used to _wear _it?" she asked laughingly, trying to pretend she wasn't starting to feel very overwhelmed by the feel of his fingers tickling across her spine.

"Dunno," he pondered. "I suppose I just notice it more now you've got it on."

She held her breath in surprise, wondering if he realised what he was doing to her, or if he was simply as oblivious as always. "Right," she exhaled roughly against his neck.

She then realised they had been situated in this very lovely hug for far longer than should be appropriate, really, for, you know; just friends.

"Doctor?" she murmured, attempting to reluctantly pull back.

But he held her where she was. Trapped. Which, honestly, was fine by her; she just thought he might've wanted to end the embrace by now. But obviously not. Which...which...well.

She wondered what that really meant.

"It was easier this time, you know," he said conversationally, startling Rose out of her thoughts.

She frowned in confusion, wondering if she'd missed half a conversation. "Sorry?"

"Regeneration," he clarified quietly. "It was easier this time."

"How do you mean? 'Cos blimey, your other ones must have been really awful, if that was the easy! You were in regenerative coma for _ages, _and let's not forget that you crashed landed the TARDIS - "

" – oi! I did_ not_ crash-land the TARDIS," he contested.

"You so did," she giggled, lifting her head back to look at his face.

He smiled down at her, relenting. "Weeelll, maybe just a little bit." Then his look grew more serious, more nervous. "But luckily, you were there, eh? To save the day."

"As I remember it, your exact words to me were: 'you, Rose Tyler – fat lot of good you were!'" she corrected him. "And you were right; I was useless."

"Nah, not useless." He swallowed thickly. "You'd just seen me change every cell in my body; I think I can cut you some slack for being a bit...doubtful. And, weeelll. Your Mum helped a bit in the end, eh, with that nice tea?" He paused. "Ooh. Never thought I'd say that sentence."

Rose nodded in amused agreement, and snuggled back into him again, her forehead pressed against his shoulder.

"You don't still..." he started.

"What?" she mumbled, prompting him to continue.

"You don't still...doubt me, do you?" he murmured.

"It's been months, Doctor," she chuckled. "And anyway, I stopped doubting you the minute you had to sword fight for the Earth." She paused, considering recent events. "I admit, I might have doubted you recently," she continued slowly, realising it was quite beneficial to not be looking at his face why she told him this. "Just...just for maybe, you know. A day or so."

His brows drew together in uncertainty. Reflexively, he tightened his arms around her. "You did?"

"Yeah. Let's not...let's not talk about that," she mumbled.

"Ah. Right. Okay," he replied.

"So, how comes it was easier this time?" she said next, guiding him back to his previous topic.

"Hmm?"

"Regeneration," she clarified for him this time.

"Oh! Yes, right. Well, just as I said. You were there," he explained brightly, as if it were the obvious answer.

Rose pulled back in puzzlement. "What do you mean?"

He stayed silent, his hand coming up to her face and brushing a strand of hair behind her ear tenderly; lingering at her neck afterwards. Her breath caught and she mentally rolled her eyes at herself.

"Doctor?" she whispered.

"Rose," he answered softly. "I told you that it was sort of a way of cheating death, do you remember?"

"Course I do," she replied easily. She remembered most of the stuff he told her. Especially the important bits. Like stuff about him dying. As if she could forget that conversation, for goodness' sake.

"Well. It is, sort of. But it - " He paused, wet his lips thoughtfully. She fought hard not to look at his mouth as he did so, and focused on his eyes, which were dark and mysterious and unfathomable, as they often were. " – it still _feels _like dying," he continued.

Rose felt tears pricking at the back of her eyes. "Doctor - " she began, her voice cracking.

"Shh, it's alright, see. 'Cos this is what I mean, Rose. It hurts like hell, the whole...process..._but_ - "

" – you were in agony, I could see it, and I...I did that to you," she interrupted fiercely, feeling so, so guilty for causing him such pain. "I don't know how you forgave me for that."

His eyes went wide, and he grasped her upper arms with an abruptness she wasn't expecting, hard enough to prevent her from moving away, but not hard enough to bruise. She felt both bereft without his arms wrapped securely around her and thrilled by the sudden determination, fondness, forgiveness, in his hold of her as he stared deep into her eyes.

"Rose, I wasn't asking for an apology or anything," he said, sounding hurt. "You have nothing to apologise _for."_

"But I killed you," she whispered. "You died because of me."

"Yeah," he exhaled roughly. "Because I couldn't bear it if _you_ died. I've got regenerations left, you...you, you get..."

"One chance," she sighed bitterly. "Yeah, I know."

"I'd do it again, like that," he told her earnestly, snapping his fingers.

"But don't," she said quickly. "Well. Um. Try not to. Change again, I mean."

He smiled. "You like this face then?"

"Maybe," she replied, smirking ever so slightly. "But if you do have to change, at some point...I'll still be here. I won't ever leave. In fact, I'd probably end up wearing one of these shirts," she grinned, fiddling with a button. "Or maybe this swirly tie. But I'm sticking around forever."

He smiled, and brushed the backs of his knuckles across her cheek gently. "Knowing I was saving you, though – knowing that although I'd have to prove myself to you, I'd hopefully still have you, after – I..." he broke off, voice catching.

Rose stared at him silently for a few moments, patiently waiting to see what he was going to say. But then, seeing him watching her with such emotion in his eyes, she had a sudden burst of confidence.

She lifted herself up slightly, and kissed him firmly on the lips.

She wasn't surprised, however, when he didn't kiss her back. She forced an apologetic smile out. "Sorry..."

The Doctor stared down at her in bewilderment, his mind replaying the most recent event to happen to him over and over and stopping him breathing quite spectacularly.

And then, he slid his hands to her hair, and pulled her lips back to his. Her mouth opened in shock, and he deepened the kiss eagerly, holding her closer to him.

"Sorry," he echoed, with a small smile on his face as he broke the kiss to allow her to gasp in some air, their foreheads pressed together.

Rose bit her lip, unsure of what to say. "I..."

"Don't ever doubt me, Rose," he whispered. "My thoughts and feelings, they're still the same, more, really, and..."

"I know," she insisted, her nose brushing his.

His hands slid across her back, down to the hem of the jumper, where they fiddled with it restlessly. "Don't ever doubt yourself, either," he told her. "Because you're completely, brilliantly fantastic."

Rose smiled gently. "Thanks..."

The Doctor's lips grazed her jaw line as he shifted, leaning down to her ear. "Rose," he whispered.

She shivered as she felt his hand slip beneath the jumper, fingertips lingering at the bare skin of her lower back. "I was in love with you," she whispered.

She felt him sigh against the skin beneath her ear, felt him inhale the scent of her hair as he pressed his nose to it. Felt his lips move against the strands of yellow and gold, softly and happily, "Fantastic..." And then he pulled back to look at her, eyes glinting with mischief, and smiled crookedly. "I was in love with you, too," he murmured, not breaking eye contact.

Rose breathed in sharply and felt warm inside at the revelation. "Fantastic," she repeated tenderly.

He kissed her again, and broke it briefly to whisper against her lips, "Just to be certain that you know, I'm _still_ - " but she kissed him back in impatience, cutting off his sentence and smiling against his mouth.

"Me too," she murmured, nipping his lower lip playfully, her sparkling gaze imploring his.

He grinned, sighing contentedly as he looked back at her with an adoring expression. "What did I do to deserve you, eh?" he whispered gently.

Rose remained quiet, contemplating her next move. There was a pause containing a comfortable silence, before she broke it with an enigmatic smile.

"Doctor," she murmured, voice low. "Can we go back to Woman Wept?"

He raised his eyebrows, having not expected that particular question. "Of course we can, Rose."

"Thanks. I loved our evening there. But Jack kinda cramped our style," she joked.

"Hmm, he did, didn't he?" picked up the Doctor, laughing quietly.

"Yeah. Sort of took away the romance of it, with him there. Three's a crowd and all that," Rose continued, smiling widely.

"Romance, eh? So _that's _what you're after. Weeelll, I'll try, but I'm not sure Time Lords are particularly good at romance. What's romantic about Woman Wept, anyway?"

"Well, it's all icy and pretty and moonlit," she explained.

"And cold," the Doctor pointed out pragmatically. "Very, very, extremely cold. So cold, in fact, that you might have to wear another jumper."

"Mm, maybe," she replied. "And then, after, can we go to that place which we thought had the best chips ever?"

He chuckled. "Reulock Five?"

"No, no. They were good, but not this good. Um...something like...what was it...Abba? Aber?"

"Abbaarr?" he suggested.

"Yes! That's it! Lovely little place."

"It was a grotty little cafe, that's what it was," he laughed.

"Still, it did great chips."

"And I s'pose the un-romance of it would compensate for the romanticness of the twenty foot frozen waves," he pondered.

"Exactly!" Rose grinned, hugging him tightly.

"Then it's definitely a deal," he accepted. He paused. "Wait, so, Rose...is this...?"

"Is this what?" she mumbled into his shoulder, still hugging him.

"A date?" he finished quietly.

Rose giggled. "If you want. Though we're probably way past the courting stage."

"Ah, true," he realised. "In human terms, the amount of time I've loved you for, you'd likely expect a proposal."

She tensed in his arms and swallowed hard. "A what?"

He squeezed her closer, laughing into her hair. "Never mind."

And after a quick trip to the wardrobe room to layer up, the Doctor honoured Rose's request, and they spent the remainder of the evening arm-in-arm and effortlessly in love.


	12. It All Starts With A Personal Question

_**It All Starts With A Personal Question...**_

"You've been...around a few years..." Rose understated with a small smile. "Can I ask you a question?"

The Doctor frowned in surprise, turning to face her. "Of course you can! You're always asking me questions; do I ever look like I don't want to answer them?"

She met his eye gratefully. "Well, no. It's just...this question's a bit...personal..."

He arched an eyebrow, leaning back against the console casually, arms folded. "Oh?"

Rose bit her lip nervously. "You don't have to answer, okay? And...and, don't get all weird about this...it's just a question, it's not, you know, life-changing or anything..."

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Rose, I don't mind, just get on with it."

"Right." She paused, swallowing thickly. "Okay. So. In your experience, what um, what would you say is the appropriate, er, let's say, _action, _to take, if..." she trailed off, embarrassed.

He uncrossed his arms and reached for her hand, squeezing it reassuringly. "If what?"

Rose glanced at her shoes for a moment, taking a deep intake of breath, and did not look back up at him, deciding it minimised humiliation for her to just stare at the floor as she mumbled, "If you fall in love with someone you're not supposed to fall in love with."

The Doctor's eyes widened, his mouth falling open in shock. _That _wasn't a life-changing sentence? Was she insane?

"Um. Sorry, what?" he asked, baffled. "How...how...how am I supposed to answer that?"

She shrugged, her eyes still trained on the grating. "With the truth."

"Well, I don't know!" he exclaimed huffily. He tugged on the hand that he held in his, running his thumb over the back of it and swallowing past the lump in his throat as he panicked as to why she was asking him this. "What's brought this on?"

Rose shrugged again, rather wishing the ground would just swallow her up right about now. "I dunno," she muttered sarcastically. "Maybe because I've fallen in love with someone I'm not supposed to fall in love with and need a little bit of advice what to do about it."

She looked up at him then, and saw his distressed expression.

"Who?" he whispered, his voice surprising her with its hoarseness. He cleared his throat to try and alleviate how upset he appeared, but his lips were still downturned and he looked positively devastated - like she'd told him she was leaving or something.

Then Rose processed the question he'd just asked her.

Bloody hell, she thought. That wasn't enough of a hint for him?

"Who do you think?" she snorted ineloquently, poking him firmly in the chest as she fought back a smile. He had to know, really. There was no way he could've missed that. He was just scared, that was all. Scared of what it meant, having his best friend love him like she did. He was pretending to be ignorant of it all. He must have been.

"Well I don't know," he replied shortly, frustrated, letting her hand go as he turned swiftly to preoccupy himself with the console screen. He inhaled some steadying breaths, trying to approach this rationally. Where had they been recently? Who could possibly have caught her eye? Caught her...heart? And how in the name of chaos was he going to change her mind about them?

Rose sighed. "Doctor, don't just ignore me."

"I'm not! I'm...thinking..." he told her seriously. And he was. Currently, his thoughts were along the lines of how he will surely have to expose this...love interest...as some sort of evil wrong-doer. Or perhaps challenge them to a sword fight. Or simply punch them in the face. He glanced at his tightened fists as he gripped the edge of the console, idly wondering if he'd have a good right hook this time around. Usually, he didn't like to find out, per se – he abhorred violence, after all. Mostly. But sometimes, you know, to...to protect Rose from...getting hurt, well – he'd do whatever he'd have to do.

"I thought we could have a proper talk about this. Don't just run away from me," she murmured, and she sounded hurt.

He spun around to face her again. "You said I didn't have to answer," he reminded her. "Thing is, I'm just not sure I'm good at thinking about that sort of thing," he confessed. How could he be? How in the name of Rassilon could he ever be comfortable with thinking about her feelings for someone else? He shook his head briefly. "Maybe you should talk to your Mum, or your friends or something."

"You are my friend!" she retorted hotly.

"Well, I mean, a female friend. Someone who'd be able to help you think things through..." He looked away from her, his Adam's apple bobbing frantically with his effort to tamper down his emotions. "...plan a course of action," he mumbled meekly.

Rose blinked quickly, feeling tears prick the back of her eyes. "I don't understand," she murmured. "Why won't you look at me?"

Jaw clenching tightly, he looked back at her; saw the hurt in her eyes. "Rose, I'm really not sure I can be of any help. Not exactly experienced in that department," he admitted.

She bit the inside of her cheek, struggling not to cry. "Right. Okay." She turned to leave.

"Plus, you know, it's...I can't even..." he stammered. "I don't want you to go."

Rose stilled, swallowing thickly. "I don't want to go," she retorted softly.

He let out a sigh of relief, then thought of something else and tensed up once more. "But...whoever, um, whoever it is, they can't...I mean, I don't want them to..." He sighed again, knowing he couldn't do that to her, couldn't refuse letting whoever it was on the TARDIS with them; he'd do just about anything if it meant she was happy, if it meant she would _stay. _So he finished his sentence, "Nothing, never mind."

Slowly, Rose turned back around again, her face contorted in the most confused, adorable expression he'd ever seen.

"Doctor," she said carefully, ignoring the single tear that slid down her cheek.

"Rose?"

"Are you a complete _idiot? _Have you finally gone absolutely mad?_" _she asked, genuinely concerned for his mental health.

His eyebrows rose to his hairline. "I'm sorry?"

She let out a bark of laughter, and stepped up to him, wrapping her arms around his waist.

Baffled, but entirely thrilled to hug her whenever the opportunity arose, he held her close, his arms securing themselves tightly around her. His lips brushed her hair as he spoke, "Rose, why am I a complete idiot who's finally gone absolutely mad?"

She squeezed his middle, giggling into his chest. "I thought you'd get it," she mumbled, voice muffled at his jacket and through her laughter.

"Get what?" he asked, tilting his head back as well as hers to make her look at him properly.

She bit her lip, suddenly nervous. "Oh," she said nonchalantly. "Just that, well, I meant you."

"You meant me?" he gulped, eyes widening in shock.

"Yes," she nodded, averting her eyes from his.

"The person you're..." he whispered.

"In love with, yes," she finished for him, cheeks flushing red.

"Oh," he exhaled roughly, accidently blowing her hair in front of her eyes. He brushed it aside for her, tucking it behind her ear, so that she wouldn't have to relinquish her hold on him. "Oh," he repeated, lost for words. Then, he beamed brightly. "Oh, that's...that's...! Thank heavens for that!"

Rose arched an eyebrow at his obvious joyousness. "So it's...okay?"

He squinted at her, confused again. "Yes! Uh, wait. It is, isn't it?"

"Well, if you, um, if you don't think it's going to make things...weird, between us. I mean, I get that we're just friends, and that you don't, you know, do that sort of thing with 'companions' or whatever, so I - "

He jumped in as soon as he could get a word in edgeways. " – Rose! Shh for a second, yeah? Just..." he paused, sighing happily. "Just, come with me, I want to show you something."

He took her hand and led her out of the TARDIS doors, into the place he'd landed them in earlier on in the evening.

Rose inhaled sharply, smelling candyfloss and popcorn and toffee and all sorts of other things she couldn't pinpoint; her eyes glanced this way and that, taking in her surroundings with a delighted smile on her face. "Where are we?" she asked excitedly, looping her arm through his.

"The Grand Funfair Festivities of Draachennbar Six," he announced grandly, smiling wide at her obvious joy with their location. "Every six years, the Draachenns host this _ginormous_ funfair festival thingy, about as big as the whole of Britain, attracting all sorts of people from all sorts of planets. But! Guess what? You, Rose Tyler, are the first human to ever come here! Now...fancy going on the Big Wheel?"

Rose thought her heart might burst with the affection she felt for this man. "Of course I do!" she laughed, starting to drag him towards it.

"Ah! First, we need to get some credits," he pointed out, tugging her back. He walked her over to a cash point-looking thing. "Not currency, you understand. Or tokens or tickets, actually. Here, it's all about - " He paused his mumbling, sonic-ing the machine. "Ball bearings!" he finished triumphantly, holding out his palm, full of tiny silver balls. He experimentally licked one, and wrinkled up his nose. "Not edible though. Shame. Well, I s'pose they couldn't be, eh? People would just eat them instead of exchanging them for a go on a ride. Anyway! Big Wheel equals three ball bearings each, let's go!"

They bounded up to the ride and joined the back of the queue. "So, how come they do this, then? The festival thing?" Rose asked curiously.

"Weeelll," the Doctor drawled. "Money, really. They make a _fortune."_

Rose frowned. "But we're paying in _ball bearings..."_

"Yes, once you're _here._ But to get an _invite _to the place, it costs around, ooh, let's say...£50 million? Give or take; depending on the exchange rate."

Rose gasped, then grinned. "Wow, and we got here for free all thanks to the TARDIS! Remind me to thank her later!"

The Doctor pouted. "What do you mean 'all thanks to the TARDIS?' I was the one who set the co-ordinates!"

She raised an eyebrow. "Really? You mean, you actually landed here on purpose? Your directing didn't go wrong?" she teased.

He mock-scowled at her and tickled her ribs. "You do realise I'm only forgiving you for that rude remark because I'll be bored going on here on my own," he informed her sagely.

"Right," she grinned, tongue between teeth. "So, if anyone asks us for ID, we just show 'em the psychic paper, yeah?"

"Yep!" he agreed happily. They were at the front of the queue now, and he handed over the payment to the operator, reclaiming Rose's hand to tug her in the small carriage after him.

Once seated, the wheel started to move, and the Doctor wrapped his arm around Rose's shoulder, hugging her close to him as he stared up at the sky. He squeezed gently to get her attention. "Look up," he requested quietly.

She did, and rested her head against his. "Oh, it's beautiful," she whispered, staring up at the neon blue and green streaks of stardust situated in clusters above them. She watched as in between, various spaceships and shuttlecrafts flew down on arrival at the festival.

"Mmm," he agreed, pressing a soft kiss to her hair.

Rose stilled momentarily at the unexpected touch, before heaving a relaxed sigh. "This is pretty perfect, you know," she commented casually.

"That's what I was aiming for," he replied softly.

She was tilting her head to look at him and beginning to say, "Thank you," when he suddenly kissed her.

Her lips froze under his and he pulled back an inch, unsure. "Rose?" he whispered.

She answered him by infinitesimally nodding and kissing him right back, feeling him grin against her mouth. There wasn't all that much room, but they somehow managed to shift sideways so that he could slip his hands into her hair and keep her right where she was. And then, when they pulled back to breathe, they smiled silly smiles at each other before snuggling close to watch a firework display begin as the wheel came down the other side.

When the Doctor murmured something into her ear in a language she couldn't translate, Rose felt a shiver run through her as she nevertheless instinctively realised what his words had meant.

He'd told her in his own words, and now she knew the answer to her earlier, personal question. She didn't have to worry about what to do anymore. They'd both fallen. He was as wonderfully too far in as she, so they'd work it out together.


	13. Of Phone Calls, Boxsets and

_**Of Phone Calls, Box-sets and Late-Night Snuggling**_

Rose sighed in frustration and flung her hand out from under the covers to haphazardly locate her mobile phone on her bedside table. Blinking quickly to regain sufficient eyesight under the now brightly illuminated duvet, she pressed speed dial to ring the TARDIS.

"Bit late, isn't it, Rose Tyler?" the Doctor's voice answered.

She rolled her eyes. "You're an insomniac, what does it matter?" she retorted, and grinned when he chuckled. "How did you know it was me?"

"Weeelll. No one else knows the TARDIS' number. Weeeelll, except for Winston, of course."

"Winston?" Rose repeated questioningly.

"Churchill," the Doctor supplied easily.

"Ah," she realised. "Of course."

The Doctor smiled, absurdly thrilled that she wasn't even fazed by that. "Yeah, he's an old mate. Didn't think it'd be him, though. He knows the whole etiquette thing about not ringing after nine o'clock at night, after all."

"Doctor, he'd be ringing from like, 1945 or something. How would he know what time it was where you are?"

He paused thoughtfully, considered her point, realised he didn't have an answer, sniffed, and then changed the subject. "Everything alright?"

"No," she said solemnly.

His senses turned on full alert. "Why, what's happened? Are you okay? Have you caught Jackie's cold? What's she done? Did she make you eat the rest of that Sheppard's pie? Have you got food poisoning?" he asked her rapidly.

She sighed dramatically. "I can't sleep."

"Oh," he replied, relaxing in relief. "Oh, right. Well, that's easily remedied."

"It is?" she asked hopefully.

"Yep!" he cried enthusiastically. "Count some sheep!"

Rose groaned. "That doesn't work," she informed him sagely.

"Have you tried it?" he retorted.

"Yes! And I even changed it to big, fat, smelly Slitheen to make it more interesting. Still didn't work." She heard him take a breath in as if about to suggest something else, so she interjected quickly, "And before you ask; yes, I also sang the song, '100 Green Krillitanes hanging on the wall.' Twice. That didn't work either."

"Oh," he said, sighing. "Then I can't help you."

"Fat lot of good you are," Rose grumbled, but she was smiling even so. "Guess you'll just have to talk me to sleep."

"How on Earth will I do that?"

"Just...talk about quantum mechanics or temporal physics or something. That always sends me off," she teased.

"Oi! Rude!" he exclaimed indignantly. "Anyway, I've just had a better idea."

"What's that?"

"Why don't you come home, eh? The TARDIS misses you. I know! We can have hot chocolate and watch Star Trek! To point and laugh at, obviously."

"I can't. Mum wants me here in case she starts throwing up again. Sorry," Rose apologised, biting her lip in frustration. "I s'pose you'll have to wait 'til tomorrow to see me."

"Remind me again why I'm not there with you, then?" he asked her.

She frowned. "You scarpered when Mum was sick on the floor in front of you, remember."

"Yeah, but she's asleep now, right?"

"Well, yeah..."

"Then I'm safe to come up," he explained simply, as if it was obvious.

"Yeah but when I do fall asleep, you'll have nothing to do," she pointed out. "You'll be stuck on the sofa, channel-flicking 'til morning."

"I'll bring Star Trek with me."

"Make it Star Wars and it's a deal," Rose bargained.

"Oh, alright," he relented, grinning madly.

"And Doctor?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't forget to bring the hot chocolate. Mum's not got much shopping in."

"Done."

"And bring some biscuits too."

"Of course."

"And marshmellows, obviously."

"_Obviously_. Rose Tyler, what do you take me for?"

"Excellent," she smiled, pleased with their plan. And in a silly way, feeling very much like a teenage girl again, having a secret sleepover with her best friend.

"Indeed," he agreed, and she could hear his corresponding smile in his voice. She _didn't_ hear him hang up the phone, though, because she was too busy daydreaming – well, night-dreaming - about how lovely his smile was.

She cleared her throat and babbled on at him quietly about how boring her evening had been, oblivious to receiving no answers (she was getting more like him every day.) She was just finishing up with, "Don't forget to be quiet when you come in, though, 'cos we don't want Mum - " before she cut herself off abruptly, hearing something clang on the floor on the other side of the wall.

Standing, she held a hand over her phone and crept towards her bedroom door, then opened it almost silently before tip-toeing into the living room.

Upon faced with the sight of the very man she'd thought she was on the phone to, she put her mobile to her ear and asked, "Hello?" and the Doctor burst out laughing, sprawled as he was on the floor, biscuit tin precariously nesting in the crook of his arm.

"I was still talking to you!" she hissed quietly. "You hung up on me!"

"And you didn't even realise," he said, pouting himself now. "That shows how much attention you pay to _me."_

"I just thought you were letting me have a chance to ramble for a change," she replied smoothly. Then, "And shh! Speak quieter; don't wake up Mum."

"Well I just thought - " he said, at normal volume, but stopped when Rose glared at him. "Well I just thought," he continued, whisperingly, "That you'd like me to get here a.s.a.p with our treats."

Rose smiled, holding her hand out to help him stand up. "Good point."

He shoved the _Star Wars_ DVDs at her, before walking towards the kitchen. "Disk 3," he informed her seriously. "I'll make the hot chocolate!"

**-x-**

About three hours later, the Doctor awoke from a doze to find Rose dribbling adorably on his shoulder in the dim light of the table lamp. He wasn't sure when they'd both fallen asleep, but one of them had seemingly managed to turn off the TV before they'd done so.

He extricated his arm from around her waist and tried to shift without waking her, leaning forward to turn of the lamp. He realised he was unsuccessful, however, when Rose yawned loudly, murmuring his name.

"Yeah, I'm here," the Doctor whispered back, searching for her hand in the darkness. Abruptly, he realised that he'd accidently brushed his hand across her chest. "Ah, sorry, can't see..." he mumbled, mildly embarrassed.

Rose's laughter was muffled, her face pressed into his side as she tried to burrow back into her place snug in his arms. "No worries," she replied softly. Then, she let out a frustrated sigh.

"What's up?" he murmured, now having found her hand and squeezing it tight in relief.

"Can't get comfy, now," she said. She moved, turning the lamp light back on so that she could see where she was going. "Come on, let's go to bed."

The Doctor raised an eyebrow.

"_What?_" she asked defensively, rubbing her eyes wearily as she stood. "What's the difference between cuddling here on the sofa or in my bed?"

The Doctor raised his other eyebrow. "Weeelll..."

"Look, I'm not gonna jump you or anything," she giggled tiredly. "Anyway, we've shared a bed before. You can stay on top of the covers if you like, like you did when we stayed at that hotel on that weird planet with the camels or whatever."

"Camelica," the Doctor supplied, suppressing a grin.

"Yeah, that's it. Well?" she demanded. "What's so scary, eh?"

"Well, put it this way, if your Mum walks into your room in the morning and sees me in your bed, what's she going to think, hmm?"

Rose rolled her eyes. "Absolutely nothing. I've told her nothing like that is going on between us."

The Doctor looked at her sceptically, and Rose lost her patience, grabbing his hand and hauling him up, dragging him to her room.

He sort of just let her, providing no more resistance.

Rose let go of his hand once she'd gotten him safely inside her room, and dove for the bed, snuggling under the covers with a contented smile on her face. "Much better," she murmured appreciatively. "Not as comfy as my mattress on the TARDIS, mind, but still."

The Doctor smiled affectionately at her, taking off his shoes. He lifted the duvet up and slipped into bed beside her.

"What, you're taking that risk, Doctor?" she teased, tongue between teeth, instantly turning on her side to face him.

He reached out his hand and let it rest on her hip, wondering if it would appear clingy if he pulled her closer. As it was, he didn't need to worry, because within moments she had curled herself into his embrace, flinging her arm over his waist.

He held her tighter, and hid his smile in her hair as he murmured goodnight.

**-x-**

The Doctor didn't sleep for the rest of the night. Rose was constantly shifting restlessly against him, mumbling to herself about utterly baffling combinations of things, like badminton and bananas. He found this very endearing, but rather wished she would keep still. It wasn't an overly big bed for two occupants, and her movements were doing nothing to repress the thoughts that the Doctor's mind had acquired since he had climbed in beside her.

Heaving a sigh, he twisted until he was lying on his back, staring up at her ceiling thoughtfully. He was wondering if it would really be so bad for him to wake her up right now. She might be dreaming something awful about that badminton and bananas, and that might be why she was so fidgety. He hated to think of her trapped in some sort of horrifying, confusing nightmare.

Then again, she might be dreaming of something quite pleasant. It was difficult to tell, because he couldn't see her expressions clearly in the dark. Every so often, though, she'd make these fluttery sort of sighing sounds, rather than terrified screams or groans of pain, so he thought perhaps that it would be cruel to wake her.

She practically winded him, then, elbowing him in the stomach as she turned on her side, facing away from him, and he resolved that nice dream or not, she would have to stop wriggling.

"Rose," he murmured, turning on his side too, his front against her back as he leant towards her, whispering in her ear.

She simply pressed her face into her pillow and settled back against the Doctor, not replying.

"Rose," he said again, a little louder, his hand gently shaking her arm.

"Mmph," she muttered, dragging his hand in hers so that she could wind his arm around her middle.

He sighed against her hair, his fingertips twitching over her bare stomach where her top had ridden up. "Rooooose," he whined softly. "Please wake up."

"No...'s not morning."

"Are you alright, though?" he asked her quietly.

"Mmyeah," she slurred, stirring into wakefulness. "Why wouldn't I be?" She turned in his arms and looked up at him.

His hand slipped to her lower back as she shifted. "You were talking in your sleep. And wriggling. A lot."

"Oh," she murmured, fitting her head into the crook of his neck. She yawned, and he felt her jaw move against his skin. "Sorry 'bout that."

"It's okay," he replied, swallowing thickly. "Um...Rose?"

Through another yawn, she responded, "Yeah?" before nuzzling her way past the collar of his shirt.

"Wouldn't you say this is a bit..." he trailed off, closing his eyes briefly at the feel of her smile against his collar bone.

"A bit what?" she prompted, waking up a bit at the prospect of teasing him.

He tilted his head to look down at her, his nose accidently brushing against her forehead. "Close..." he whispered, voice cracking slightly.

Rose lifted her gaze to his face, unable to see it in the dark but knowing that right about now he'd have a frowning expression as he tried to work out what was going on. She lifted her hand and smoothed out his drawn together brows, her touch lingering at his cheek on its way back down.

"Don't see you moving away," she countered easily, finding his free hand under the covers and entwining their fingers.

He gulped at that; she could tell, because she felt his Adam's apple bob. "Neither are you," he said defensively.

"So what's your problem, then?" she laughed softly, her lips brushing against the fabric of his shirt.

"Nothing!" he squeaked out. "I'm just...saying, that's all."

"Doctor," Rose whispered.

"Yeah?" he whispered back.

She grinned. "Your hearts are beating really fast."

"Are they?" he replied nonchalantly, trepidation kicking in as he realised she'd noticed.

"Yep," she affirmed, squeezing his hand lightly. "You alright?"

"Course I am."

"Then, why...?"

"Perhaps I'm living in fear that your mother will walk in at any moment."

Rose giggled. "Don't worry about _that. _She's got flu, won't be walking around for days."

"Speaking of which, shouldn't you be looking after her?"

"She's asleep; not much I can do for her at the moment. It's the middle of the night."

"Actually, it's almost dawn."

"Whatever; sometimes that _is _the middle of the night for her."

The Doctor laughed into her hair, his hand on her back pressing her more firmly against him.

"Well, in that case," he murmured. "Rose?"

"Yeah?"

She lifted her head, and instantly, she felt his mouth on hers. "Doctor!" she squeaked in surprise against his lips. Her hand left his and wound itself into his hair, yanking him back to her when he almost took her shock for rejection, so that she could kiss him back.

When the kissed eased off, both of them were panting breathlessly. "Sorry," he grinned sheepishly. "Couldn't hold that back much longer."

Rose laughed, kissing him again. "What took you so long?" she asked him playfully as she pulled back.

He growled and shifted them quickly so that she was trapped underneath him. "You mean, you knew? Were you doing that..._intentionally, _Rose Tyler?" he asked, arching an eyebrow.

Hands over each of his hearts, she widened her eyes innocently. "Doing what intentionally?"

"Driving me insane," he clarified, rolling his eyes.

"Of course not!" she declared, mock-offended.

"For the last two years..." he added softly.

Her breath hitched and he felt it against his jaw. "Really?" she whispered.

He bit his lip worriedly. "Have you not...noticed?"

"Noticed what?" Rose tightened her grip on his hand.

"That I'm..." He coughed awkwardly, his voice rough.

"That you're what?" she asked gently.

"You know," he murmured, tilting his head forward and resting his forehead against hers. "You must...feel it, too."

"Yeah," she agreed brightly, pressing her hips up and further into his, winding her arms around his neck and smiling smugly into his cheek so he could sense her teasing. "Yeah, I feel it."

The Doctor struggled to breathe for a moment. "That's...that's not what I meant, you little..."

Rose giggled. "Little what?"

"Minx," he answered hoarsely, before stealing her lips again.

Three quick knocks on Rose's bedroom door made them spring apart, flipping onto their backs and trying to catch their breath. The Doctor grumbled to himself; so much for Jackie not walking around for days. He might've known she'd recover from her illness super-quickly just to spite him. Just like her to thwart his plans of kissing Rose all day. Typical.

"Rose. Rose?" called Jackie sleepily, turning the door handle.

Rose curled up and pretended to be asleep; the Doctor followed her lead and closed his eyes, strategically rearranging the duvet.

"Rose, love, are you awake?" Jackie whispered loudly. She tiptoed over to her daughter's beside table and turned on the lamp. "Oh! What's he doing in here?" she exclaimed.

Rose rolled over and pretended to wake up, feigning a yawn. "Mum? What's up? How you feeling?"

"Oh, still awful," Jackie sniffed, running a hand through her knotty hair. "Thought I'd better get up and about a bit, though – I'm going all stiff, hanging around in bed all day. Speaking of beds, what's himself doing in yours, eh?" she added, raising an eyebrow.

Rose shrugged indifferently. "Felt bad 'bout making him sleep on the sofa," she mumbled.

"But I thought he'd gone back to the TARDIS," Jackie pointed out, sitting on the end of the bed as she blew her nose.

"Well, he came back," Rose replied defensively.

Jackie smiled knowingly. "Couldn't stand being away from you for just one night, could he?"

She rolled her eyes. "Nooo," she scoffed. "I couldn't sleep so he came over to keep me company. Because he's my_ friend_," she stressed.

"Friend," Jackie repeated. "Of course."

"He _is."_

"Yeah, and the rest," Jackie said, lowering her voice to a whisper. "If he's never implied he wants something more from you, then he's a complete liar – believe me, I've been around a bit, I can tell when someone likes someone else like that."

"Even if they're an alien?" Rose grinned.

Jackie waved her hand dismissively, and sing-songed, "He's still a man..."

"Whatever you say, Mum. Fancy a cuppa?"

"Yeah, that'll be nice, sweetheart."

Rose threw back the duvet and stood up, stretching. "I'll go and stick the kettle on," she said, suppressing a giggle at leaving the Doctor alone with her mum. She'd pay for it later, but it was just too funny an opportunity to pass up.

"Thanks, love," replied Jackie, who remained sitting on the edge of the bed when Rose left the room. "I know you're awake," she said to the Doctor then, amusement heavy in her tone. "You don't fool me."

The Doctor opened his eyes and sat up straight, eying Jackie warily. "Right."

She folded her arms. "I could hear you both giggling and things. These walls aren't that thick."

"Right," he said again.

"Was I...interrupting anything?" she grinned.

His eyes widened. "We were just talking!"

"Didn't sound like just talking..." she smirked.

He swallowed hard. "And...why are you talking to me about this?" he asked, baffled as to where this conversation could possibly be going. He severely hoped it wasn't going to result in a slap; she'd got passed that recently, it seemed, and she was actually fairly nice to him nowadays. He'd hate for things to regress. Especially now he and Rose were...well...whatever he and Rose now were. Or had been. Or will be...

"I wasn't exactly _expecting _that my Rose would end up with someone like you," she began, bringing him out of his silent contemplation. "But as soon as I realised just how much you care about her, I accepted the fact that nothing's ever going to come between you. I just want you to know that she's got my approval. Not that either of you _asked _for it, mind, but still." Jackie nodded her head firmly, offering him a warm smile. "Alright?"

The Doctor was silent, mouth hanging open.

"Alright?" Jackie said again.

"Yes," he replied emphatically. "Yes. Um. Thanks."

"You're welcome," Jackie smiled, before standing up as Rose walked back in, taking her mug and leaving them alone.

"That was...well. _Surreal_. Did that really just happen?" the Doctor whispered to Rose.

"Yep," Rose grinned, sipping her tea.

He shuddered, then looked at her pointedly. "Hey, where's mine?"

"You were asleep."

He smiled gently, then patted the space next to him. "Come back to bed," he murmured.

"My mum's in the next room," she pointed out, arching an eyebrow.

"It's alright. We have her approval," he beamed, reaching out to lace his fingers with hers and pulling her down next to him.

"I don't care," Rose laughed, settling into his embrace as his arm looped around her shoulders snugly. "You'll have to restrain yourself 'til we get back to the TARDIS now. It'd be _way _too embarrassing to, um, continue anything here."

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Fine," he huffed half-heartedly. "But I hope we're planning on going back to the TARDIS soon. Soon as in, now, preferably. Yes? Maybe? No?" Rose shook her head. "Oh. Alright then. S'pose we might as well stay for breakfast."

She giggled and snuggled further into him, mindful of not spilling her tea. "Don't worry, it seems Mum was exaggerating her symptoms a bit yesterday. She ought to be fine by the end of the day, and then you can whisk me off into the vortex again."

He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "And oh, have I got plans for when we do," he chuckled into her hair.

"I'm gonna hold you to that," she announced, immensely pleased.

"You'd better," he retorted, equally delighted with the imminent development brewing in their near future. "'Cos I've got some _brilliant_ ideas. I'd hate for you to miss out."

...


	14. For Once, Ignore the End of the World

_**For Once, Ignore the End of the World; Just Kiss**_

Things were getting a bit awkward.

He and Rose had managed to save a civilisation again, today, which was rather good, and put this amongst the least awkward of days they'd had together. The Elians were a generally quite peaceful race – which, considering they were pretty good at telepathy, wasn't exactly a difficult assumption to make. But occasionally, even the mightiest of races would fight within, and a culmination of factors led to a bit of an uprising earlier on.

The Doctor and Rose had landed amidst the arguments and fighting – after aiming for someplace nice and quiet to have a wander and show off Rose's pretty new dress - but had fortunately managed to calm both sides down with minimal effort. When he said minimal effort, he meant, minimal threats to their lives/running away from angry villagers. Anyway, both sides were now so calmed down that they were having a party to celebrate their re-unification, in the Grand Hall of the main city's governmental building.

Rose, however, had disappeared some time ago. Putting this back up amongst the awkward days. Not that he didn't know where she was; it was just, with her away, he was left on his own. He knew she'd be helping a girl she'd made friends with earlier on the day clear up the mess the civilians had created in the market square that afternoon. The girl was of a lower class, apparently, and it was her and her father's duty to sort out the disorder left while the rest of the people went off partying. Naturally, this had frustrated Rose, who thought it very, very wrong. Not wanting to antagonise things further, however, she simply told the girl and her father that she'd muck in and give them a hand.

The Doctor would have helped to, you understand. Honestly, he would've followed Rose and joined in. Obviously. Because he'd follow Rose anywhere...

To keep her safe, you understand. That was all.

Anyway, he would've done all that, except he got sort of...cornered. By a woman. Who just so happened to be the leader of the Elians. Yep.

Hence why this was a _wee_ bit awkward.

They were sitting in the gardens of the Grand Hall now. Alone. On a bench. Together. And she kept asking him questions. He effortlessly dodged them, of course. Well, until she got to this particular one:

"This, um..._girl_ of yours. Your...friend? I'm sorry, I don't know her na - "

" – Rose," he interjected helpfully, a small grin working its way onto his face, glad to have found a topic he'd quite happily talk to Amera about. That would ease the awkwardness, he thought. No more awkward, awkward silences. "Her name's Rose."

Amera smiled, a strained expression that didn't meet her eyes. One glance at her and the Doctor could tell it was forced. He wondered at how anyone could have that response to anything about Rose.

He also quickly realised maybe his favourite topic was not going to alleviate the, er, awkwardness.

"Right. _Rose._ So, have you...been, er, _travelling _together long?" she asked.

He tilted his head a little, considering. "Ooh, we've been together about two years now, I think. Give or take. It's all a bit confusing, time-wise. Missed a year, after all. But yes, relatively speaking, I've had about seven-hundred-and-thirty days with Rose Tyler," the Doctor answered, beaming happily. Really, he could tell exactly how long she had been with him, down to days and minutes -_ seconds_, even – but he didn't want to sound _too_...well. Besotted.

He sniffed, dismissing that thought with a shake of his head at himself. He was definitely probably, maybe a bit – no, wait - in _no_ way, not at all, not even a remote chance was he_ besotted._

He glanced back at the woman he was conversing with, noticing how her expression had tightened even more.

"How...lovely," Amera replied, an eyebrow raised. "So, what's she like, then?"

"She should be back soon. You can meet her and see for yourself," he smiled politely, deciding that actually, he didn't want to talk to Amera about Rose, since it was quite apparent that she had some sort of irrational dislike of his friend. A dislike that made him in no small way frustrated.

"Well, she seems nice enough, from what I've seen of her already, but I don't imagine you'll settle for her," smirked Amera, dusting an imaginary speck of dust from the Doctor's sleeve.

He didn't notice the sleeve thing. That sort of thing just did not register with him. Well, unless it was with...never mind.

"Settle for her?" he replied distractedly. His foot was tapping eagerly at the creaky wooden floorboards of the decked veranda, his gaze darting around the garden in search of blonde hair and purple dress, and he really wasn't in the mood for whatever mind games this woman was apparently trying to play with him.

"She's a bit too..." she let herself trail off purposely, wrinkling her nose up.

"What?" he prompted coolly, and he couldn't help but rouse to her bait, snapping his head around to look at her with a distinct expression of contempt commanding his face.

"Brazen, unorthodox, impolite, garish..." Amera finished – triumphantly, in her opinion, if her smile, now genuine, was anything to go by.

The Doctor chuckled, his irritation at the woman fading as he realised that a) she'd actually described _him _more than Rose, and b) he simply did not care what Amera, or anyone else, for that matter, thought about his best friend. Who was she to tell him who he should or should not 'settle for?' She hardly knew him. And she hadn't even _spoken _to Rose herself. What did she even mean by 'settle for' anyway? He thought he was extremely lucky to have Rose Tyler as his...his...well. Friend. Companion. Best mate. And everything else she meant to him that he couldn't even put into words.

His chuckle drifted off then, and he remained silent as he contemplated the woman's motives in being so offensive about Rose.

Silence, however, was not the response Amera wanted. "Doctor?" she said quietly.

"Yes?" he answered impatiently, his eyes flitting towards the flowery archway, where he'd glimpsed purple in his peripheral vision. He was immensely happy and relieved to see Rose was indeed walking through. Coming to save him, at last.

"You're a man of such great stature and authority and wisdom. You are far superior than even us Elians, let alone a lowly _shop-girl _of a _human."_

At this, the Doctor eyes turned back to Amera, his eyes darkening. In anger, mind; not remotely in the way Amera was aiming for.

Blissfully unaware of his annoyance, however, she continued, "Why in the universe would you want to adventure with her, rather than someone who can match," she paused, shuffling closer to him; a hand on his thigh. "Or at least, _mostly_ match, you, in all these things?" She smiled at him innocently, batting her eyelashes and quickly clutching at his hand when he tried to edge away from her.

"Er...listen, Amera. I'm sure, um, weeelll, I'm sure you're probably lovely and everything, but really, do you have to be so..." he trailed off, leaning backwards and almost tumbling off his seat as she leant forwards towards him, eyes trained on his lips.

"Doctor, just relax. Let me show you what it's like to be kissed by a _real _woman," she murmured, in what she assumed was an enticing manner, but truly, was exceedingly terrifying to the Doctor's ears.

"No! No no, nonono!" he cried, jumping up and away from her, panic-stricken. "Ta and everything, but no! I don't think that's, um, in any way, at all, actually, necessary! Rose is quite woman enough for me, thank you!" he continued, without really thinking about what he was saying.

That was when he heard a very distinctive laugh coming from behind him.

He groaned.

"Now look what you've made me do!" he complained to Amera, who was staring at him in complete bafflement.

He spun around to face Rose's hysterical laughter. "What, Rose Tyler, is so funny?"

Rose attempted to get her giggling under control, her hand clutching her stomach. "Nothing, Doctor, nothing," she replied, biting her lip. She watched him raise his chin in defiance and fold his arms defensively, before bursting into laughter again. "Woman...enough..." she gasped out in between giggles.

"Rose!" he cried in annoyance. "Stop it! I didn't mean for it to sound like that, alright? It was just...she was...she was going to...and...and I panicked! Said the first thing that came into my head!"

This only made Rose laugh harder, and he groaned again, before deciding not to even _try _and backtrack his way out of that one.

By this point, Amera had grown steadily furious at the Doctor's rejection of her, and steadily jealous of the way his attention was now completely focussed on Rose. She took a step forward, and tapped him on the shoulder.

The Doctor froze under Amera's touch. "Yeah?" he squeaked.

Rose stopped laughing, watching quietly to see how the scene played out.

"I just want to let you know two things," she began, in a syrupy, seductive voice that Rose was quite sure made her go from being entertained by Amera's actions to hating the woman in such a very short space of time. "Firstly, you have no _idea_ what you are missing."

The Doctor gulped, and Rose's eyes narrowed at how close Amera was murmuring into his ear.

"And secondly...you _will _change your mind, Time Lord."

"I don't think so," the Doctor replied quietly, with an apologetic frown.

Rose smiled, in a not-so-apologetic fashion, it had to be said.

"Oh, you will," Amera assured him. "When you discover just how little _she _can give you, you will change your mind about me."

At this, both Rose and the Doctor raised their eyebrows, their widened eyes meeting each other's as they stared awkwardly at each other. Without either of them really noticing, Amera fluttered away with a pretentious walk and a sinful smile on her face.

Rose cleared her throat. "What did she mean by that?" she asked bemusedly, tugging at her earring in the same way that the Doctor was tugging at his ear, making it clear to both of them that they were mutually embarrassed.

"Weeelll," he began, turning to walk back to the bench. He sat back down and patted the space next to him as he spoke. "She had been making digs about your humanity for several agonising minutes before you came back to rescue me."

"And?" urged Rose, taking her place close beside him.

"I imagine she was trying to tell me that the fact that Elians can use telepathy makes her so much better than you."

Rose's lips quirked. "Better at what, exactly?" she asked suggestively.

The Doctor met her teasing gaze with a smouldering look of his own. "Everything, probably."

She frowned in annoyance then. "Well, that's rude. Just because I'm human and can't read your mind, doesn't give her the right to talk down about me and launch herself at you like some sort of..." she cut herself off when she realised how jealous she was sounding. She coughed uncomfortably, and prayed he hadn't noticed.

He'd noticed.

He bumped his shoulder against hers lightly, not once breaking eye contact. "What's all this, Rose Tyler? You jealous?"

"Of course not," she denied vehemently. "Why would I be jealous?"

"You tell me," he replied, his eyes dark and daring.

Rose stared back at him for an increasingly intense few seconds, before shifting to face away from him. "Not jealous," she insisted, observing a native bird-like creature swoop down into the water fountain and watch its own reflection scatter gracefully by the moonlight. She fiddled with the hem of her dress absently. "Just, you know. She should've taken the hint, that's all."

"What hint?" the Doctor asked her, wishing she would turn to face him again. His eyes slipped to where her hands were fiddling, and he found himself staring at her legs for a few long moments. She really should wear these nice, short dresses more often, he thought. Although, that one has gotten a bit messed up; probably the clearing up that did it...still, though, it looks, she looks, _well_, she looks...

"Well. You weren't interested in her. She didn't have to keep on about it," she muttered, huffing, and it pulled him out of his reverie.

He smothered a smile. "She was wrong, anyway," he dismissed, shrugging.

Rose sighed. "Yep," she said. "She was. She thought we were, like, _together _or something, didn't she. Everyone always does," she added, trying to keep her tone light.

The Doctor frowned, and swallowed heavily in an attempt to dislodge the lump that had suddenly come to his throat. "That's not what I meant," he murmured.

"No?" Rose replied, turning around.

"No," he answered, searching her face for a moment before deciding to just come out with it. "I meant about you."

"What about me?" she countered.

"She thought, for some stupid reason about me being a Time Lord and you being a- a- "

" – a lowly shop-girl of a human," Rose supplied, smiling.

"Well, there's the first thing, case in point! You're not a lowly anything," he told her seriously.

Rose bit her lip nervously. "Glad you think so," she said softly.

"I don't think so, Rose Tyler. I _know _so. Amera didn't see what I see – what the rest of the universe and all its bloody pretty boys see - "

"Now who's jealous?" she teased, before glancing down at the space between them, which was roughly two centimetres, when the Doctor's hand found hers.

He smiled gently at her when she looked back at his face. "She said something about me not settling for you, which is completely ridiculous, because - "

" – Doctor?" interrupted Rose.

He hesitated. "Yeah?"

She took a deep breath. "You told me that you'd know, inside your head, if there was another Time Lord that had survived. Because of the whole telepathy thing. So why _haven't _you found someone else, from another species, like the Elians, to help, like, fill the space? Even for just, you know, friendship, companionship or whatever."

The Doctor stared at her in awe for nearly half a minute before clearing his throat and responding, "Because I found you."

Rose smiled a little, but it soon faded, and she felt herself blinking back tears. "But isn't it lonely?" she asked delicately, reaching a hand up to his temple. "In here?"

He took her hand and moved it to the middle of his chest. "Better than being lonely in here," he answered honestly.

She let out a shaky breath, and a tear slipped from her eye. "Oh," she whispered, feeling the quick double beat of his hearts beneath her palm.

He caught her tear with the pad of his thumb. "Hey!" he admonished tenderly. "What's this for?"

She sniffed, and offered him a watery smile. "'S nothing," she murmured, voice cracking. "Just...I wish I _could _be enough, that's all."

The Doctor's brow furrowed in confusion. "You are, Rose," he insisted, hands coming up to cradle her face. "I mean it. I really, really do. You're Rose. You're _you. _Of course you're enough. _More_ than enough."

"I'm just your friend, Doctor, your little human friend who won't be around for that long, and - "

He cut across her, shaking his head rapidly. " - More than that, Rose. You're so much more than that. I thought..." he trailed off, dropping his hands; they came to rest across his left thigh and her right, as he twiddled his thumbs nervously.

"What, Doctor?" she asked, wrapping her hands around both of his to still them.

"I thought you knew that," he said hesitantly. "I thought you knew. Amera got it all wrong, and so have you," he told her, leaning his head forward until their foreheads were touching. He felt her breath ghost shakily over his lips as she waited for him to continue. He felt her squeeze his hands in encouragement. He felt his hearts stutter as he tried to get the words out.

"I don't deserve you," he whispered. "I don't deserve you, but you're here. With me. Holding my hands and making me scared."

Rose tilted her head back to look at him questioningly. "What do you mean, making you scared?"

"You're so...you...you're just..." he stammered, gazing at her in that admiring way that never failed to make her pulse quicken.

"Yeah?" she urged.

He leant forwards, slowly closing the gap between them, and just as she thought his lips were about to touch hers, there was an almighty crash resounding around them. They both jumped back in surprise, and the Doctor only just leapt up and caught her in time before she fell to the floor.

"Thanks," she muttered shakily, as he pulled her steadily into his arms. "So, what the hell was that?"

He looked down at her, into her wide and anxious and curious and beautiful brown eyes. "I don't know," he answered softly.

Rose swallowed thickly. "Shouldn't we go and find out? Could be aliens up to no good or someth..." She trailed off as the Doctor tugged her closer, so that they were chest to chest, hips to hips...other body parts to other body parts.

"Or it could be nothing," he suggested hopefully. "In which case, we're the only aliens up to no good," he grinned.

"Are we?" she asked, raising her eyebrow. "Because aside from you holding on to me for dear life right now, I really don't see how we are behaving in any way..." She trailed off and bit her lip at the intense look in his eyes. A look that was aimed at her mouth. "Not good," she finished meekly.

"For once, Rose Tyler, I'm going to do something different," he informed her ruefully, wincing as he heard a shriek coming from the building behind them. "I'm going to put the universe and all its problems and alien invasions and annoying shrieking damsels in distress on hold for around about two minutes, and snog you breathless. That okay?"

Rose giggled happily. "Yeah." He leaned forward. "Actually, no. Sorry," she started. He glared at her. She bit her lip again and continued, "I'm a bit worried about those people in there, 'cos that sounded like a really loud crash, and - "

"One minute?" he suggested impatiently.

"Doctor," she said warningly.

"Thirty seconds? Surely they can wait thirty seconds?"

"Doctor!"

"Please, come on. Rose, I really want to just -"

"_Doctor. _Since when did you put snogging higher on your list of priorities than saving the world?"

"Since you put on that dress this morning," he blurted out. His eyes widened. "Um, I mean..."

"Come on," she sighed, suppressing a giddy smile of delight at the unexpected compliment. She pulled his hands off her, dragging him towards the doors that led into the house.

"Rose..." he said, in that tone of voice that always alerted her to something she hadn't noticed. Something she _should_ notice.

She glanced around her expectantly. "What?" she muttered worryingly, turning to face him.

He immediately hauled her closer, and pressed a firm kiss to her mouth, coaxing her lips apart with his tongue and a few nibbles until she allowed him to kiss her properly, and she kissed him back just as passionately. His hands slid across her back, one up, one down, to keep her in place against him, as hers came up to tug at his hair.

There was another thunderous crash, and Rose pulled away quickly, guiltily, with wide eyes. "Oh god, come on!" she gasped, rushing into the house. She ran in the general direction of the noise, the Doctor in hot pursuit.

He bumped into her when she stopped suddenly, at the entrance to the dining hall, and reached out to her waist to steady himself. He felt her sag against him in relief, and looked over her shoulder to see what all the fuss was about.

In the dining hall was a congregation of very happy, very drunk Elians having a good old food fight.

_Not _a universe-ending disaster, then. Right. So he didn't almost sacrifice everyone for the sake of a snog with Rose Tyler, then. Right.

He didn't really know how he felt about that.

Rose, however, was immensely pleased. She turned around and flung her arms around him. "Thank god for that!" she laughed giddily. "I thought I was gonna have a tragedy on my conscience 'cos of you and your tongue!"

He grinned into her neck and swung her around. "So...can we - "

" – join in the food fight?" she interrupted. "Hell yeah!"

And before he could stop her, and tell her,_ no, actually, I rather meant can we find a horizontal surface somewhere to continue the kissing thing, _she was out of his arms and into the crowd, picking up a large chocolate-looking cake, and flinging it in his direction. He was so baffled he didn't even think about ducking.

Consequently, he launched into a counter-attack, and threw a banana trifle at her face.

Luckily for him, she let him lick it off.


	15. Someday, This Day

_**Someday, This Day – What's the Difference?**_

He thinks about it very, very carefully one evening, after she's sauntered off to her bedroom to sleep half her life with him away.

Using the empirical evidence that has been his life thus far - or rather, pre-Rose - the Doctor comes to the completely rational conclusion that he has not, as yet in said life – or rather, pre-Rose – _ever_ felt quite this seemingly _irrationally..._turned on. For want of a better, more scientific, and decidedly less human, turn of phrase.

So.

Hmm.

Right.

Now arrives the hard part of the problem.

Ah, no. Not like that; minds out of the gutter – honestly, humans! Constantly thinking about that. Ahem.

Time Lords are above such things. Or at least, they were. He was.

Pre-Rose, that is.

_Anyway, _the significantly more important issue is how on Earth/AnyOtherPlanet/the TARDIS/his bed/the library floor/that hammock in the garden room – okaaaaaay, getting a little distracted there; back to business. How, in any circumstance/location, is he going to resolve this slight...miscommunication of his brain to his, ah, blood flow?

Thing is, Rose is...well, _Rose. _She has that, oh, that _smile; _those big, brown eyes; that quite frankly very lovely, womanly figure. She's kind and compassionate and witty. She is, simply put, beautiful. And he certainly isn't alone in the universe in thinking so.

Which is...good. Yes, good. Because it proves there isn't something wrong with him. Lots of people become powerless under the sight of Rose's tongue poking the corner of her mouth as she grins mischievously. Which is...good. Yes. Very...good. Well, sort of. She's someone any red-blooded (or any other colour-blooded) male would find attractively pleasing – he knows that because, unfortunately, she does unconsciously command the attention of passing looks and appreciative comments. _Wherever they bloody go. _Which is...good, for her self-esteem, he supposes. Pretty boys by the dozen must be flattering. But.

But.

Well.

And here's the thing:

The Doctor, rather alarmingly, absolutely does _not _want any other boy, man, or woman, or undecided - or whatever else in existence – looking at her in that particular way. You know the way. The way that said they wanted her to talk to them, touch them, be with them. Et cetera.

He couldn't allow that. But is it really a matter of him allowing it? No. He doesn't own her, and he can't exactly keep her locked up on the TARDIS so that it is only _him _looking at her in that particular way. That would be...wrong. He's pretty sure that would be wrong. However tempting the idea, it _cannot be done._

There is something inside him, see; something intrinsic and inherent and unable to be gotten rid of. It had been created very early on in knowing her, and had grown so far as to clench his hearts in fear whenever he faced the possibility of losing her. It would remain within him long after she was truly gone from him, though – in fact, it would never cease, not for the rest of his lives; it's so immense. He knows that. Because the something is a lot like love, but love and so much more on top...

People profess love all the time. Even him, in a way, because he's told her he loves bananas, and he's told her he loves humans, and he's told her he loves the universe, and travelling, and making things right.

People use the word love so casually in their speech. But he doesn't love her like some people claim they love chocolate; so-and-so off that film; holidays in Spain; Shakespeare; fluffy animals. The word is tossed around so often like it's something simple, something transient, when it isn't, not really. Not if you've never truly felt it in this way before. It's the most terrifying, wonderful thing, and no one can possibly know that more than him.

(And perhaps that's very arrogant of him. But who's he to be modest? He is a Time Lord, and they were not programmed, as such, to feel this way; and definitely not for humans.)

So what can he do? What can he seriously, actually _do?_

It's all so confusing. She's his friend, but she's more, she's his everything. But she doesn't know it. And therein lies his other problem:

If he tells her, will she stay?

He reasons that she will, because surely he can't be feeling all this and feeling it all alone. Surely it's not all unrequited. It can't be, what with the way she meets his gaze sometimes. The light in her eyes, the happiness, the hope. She must feel something there, hidden behind the gentle, comforting facade of holding hands and friendly hugs. Forbidden and tantalising and now barely out of reach.

He could grab at it, he realises. He could take it in his stride and sprint to her room right now; wake her up from her sleep where he hopes she is dreaming of him, and just...announce it. Loud and proud. _I love you! _he could shout, and she could be his, like that, in an instant and forever.

But what if he ruins it? He'll never leave her, but she could leave him. What if he messes up, somewhere along the line, and she decides to go? At the moment, with the remaining fragile distance between them, she forgives him anything. But stepping over the boundary means trust becomes scarier, because it's a lot more than just their hearts in jeopardy. Because at the moment, he knows if he lost her he'd be broken in a way he had been before she fixed him. But throw in to the mix decades of an even closer kind of love, kind of bond, that goes beyond long, secretive looks and slow burning want – _then _to lose her; well, it would be unbearable.

And trust may become scarier, but so does knowledge. She'll see into him, more than she already does, and he'll likely tell her anything she wants - and probably more so besides – once he's crossed that threshold of her mind and soul and she's crossed his. Hardly any more secrets between them.

And that's scary enough for him, but what about her? She might see things he doesn't want her to see, because with what she knows, already, he thinks she loves him, still, despite it all; the blood on his hands and the nightmares of a War everyone lost. But if she sees everything, will she look at him the same? She'll likely comfort him and say it doesn't matter – that's what she does, for him, you see; becomes his salvation, his girl that atones him – but would she really believe that? Would she really be able to love him, knowing what he'd been capable of in the past? What he is - if required, if she is in danger - still capable of, even now?

"Doctor, are you alright?" comes her voice, and he jumps off the captain's seat in surprise.

"Blimey, Rose!" he exclaims, clutching a hand to his chest. "You scared the life out of me!"

Rose grins cheekily as she walks over to him, absently rubbing her eyes. "Sorry," she apologises sleepily. She heaves out a sigh as she sinks down onto the seat. "Can't sleep!" she proclaims.

He sits down beside her. "Oh. It's still night, then?"

She looks at him like he's daft. "Yeah...I've only been gone, like, half an hour. Wow, you really were deep in thought, weren't you?"

"Hmm?" he replies distractedly, trying to calculate the exact speed at which he could lean towards her without it looking like it's intentional.

Rose solves the issue by shifting closer herself, resting her head on his shoulder casually. "I could practically hear you thinking when I came in," she clarifies. "You were somewhere else in your thoughts."

"Nah, I was right here, actually," he corrects softly, bringing his arm up and placing it around her shoulders.

She yawns and snuggles closer, wrapping her arms around his waist. "Me too," she murmurs.

He smiles into her hair, and ponders whether it's completely necessary for them to remain where they are while she dozes off...surely it wouldn't be wrong of them to migrate somewhere...comfier? Like...a sofa, or...a bed? It's not like it would stop being an innocent cuddle just because they got more...horizontal; after all, innocent cuddles are all they do. Neither of them let it become more. Ever.

He finds himself asking the question before it's fully formed in his mind. "Do you want me to come to bed with you?"

Rose raises her head and stares at him blankly, an eyebrow slowly arching.

He hastily rephrases his question. "I mean, it seems like you're really tired, so isn't it better that I come in your room with you so we can talk before you fall asleep? Then I won't have to carry your heavy lump to bed later," he adds cheekily.

"Oi!" she says, but she says it through laughter. "Yeah, alright, old man. Would hate to put your back out."

"Oi!" he says back, but she's affirmed his idea, so all is well, really.

They walk to her bedroom in a comfortable silence and within close proximity to each other. In fact, he leaves his arm slung across her shoulders and so she's pulled rather closely into him as they make their journey. Not that either of them complain.

Inside, Rose tugs him down next to her on the bed and curls into him again, her head on his chest. "So," she mumbles, stifling another yawn. "What shall we talk about tonight?"

There are so many topics they could choose from. They've steadily worked their way through the mundane to the absurd to the downright hysterical on other occasions, never once having an awkward silence with neither knowing what to say.

But then comes her idea. "I know!" she says, before he can answer. "Why don't you tell me what you were thinking so hard about earlier?"

He goes very still. "Ah, no, no, no, no," he blusters. "No."

"Oh, why not? Was it all scientific? Too hard for me to understand?" she asks knowingly.

"Um. Yes. Yes, that's right. All sorts of, er, equations and things." He exhales roughly, knowing he's got away with it. "Far too advanced for a human brain," he teases playfully.

"It's just...you looked worried. Troubled. I thought maybe you were remembering...things," Rose says carefully.

He looks at the top of her head with a puzzled expression. "What sort of things?"

"I..." she starts, unsure. Then, she looks up at him, folding her arms on his chest to get better leverage, and goes for the sarcastic approach. "Oh, I dunno. The traumatic experience that happened a little while ago."

He touches her face, then; his mouth downturned, he lets his fingertips trace her features lightly, remembering the horror he had felt when all he could see was a blank canvass where her beautiful eyes and nose and mouth used to be. "Is that why you can't sleep?" he asks her quietly, swallowing the lump in his throat. "Because you don't have to worry, Rose. I'm never going to let anything like that happen to you again," he vows, cupping her cheek.

Her face contorts into a confused look, then. "Hang on, what are you talking about?"

He looks at her like she's dribbling on his hand; which, honestly, he really wouldn't mind, and _my, _isn't that a strange, bizarre, really, really weird thing to wish for...he must be losing it. He clears his throat. "Last week. With the Wire...?"

"Oh! No, I meant something a lot more important than _that," _she dismisses, nearly chuckling at his silliness but realising that would be inappropriate. "No, I – I meant...the Time War," she finishes tentatively.

"Oh! Oh, okay." He pauses. "The thing with the Wire is very important, too, you know."

Rose shrugs and looks him in the eye. "But you weren't really thinking about that."

"No," he agrees. "Doesn't mean I haven't been, though_. I_ haven't slept since last week, because every time I close my eyes I see your face just...gone," he admits.

She feels tears prick at the back of her eyes and blinks quickly to avoid them. "Yeah?"

"Yes," he confirms, reaching down to hold her head in his hands again. The pads of his thumbs sweep across the apples of her cheeks and she closes her eyes at his reverent touch. "Still!" he says loudly, clearing his throat again and breaking the moment. "All over now. Nothing to angst over for evermore."

She opens her eyes when he drops his hands and they try to smile at each other but it's all false and they both know it. And now he can't quite look at her and so he's staring at her wall like it holds the secrets of the universe.

"It's okay to be scared, you know," she whispers. He swallows hard and still doesn't meet her gaze. "You don't have to be embarrassed about being a little vulnerable, sometimes." She unfolds her arms and reaches for his hands, holding them in hers. "Not to me."

He looks at their joined hands, then. Sees how tightly their fingers have interwoven. Nothing can break this. Nothing can break them. They'll always get through it, whatever it is that's trying to take her from him, just like they did last week. He always gets her back.

"What were you thinking about, then?" she asks him again.

"Us," he admits quietly.

"Us?"

"Yes. Us."

"What about us?"

"_Us,_" he repeats, emphatically this time. "Us-us. You and me. Me and you. Rose Tyler and the Doctor. Bad Wolf and the Oncoming Storm. Shiver and Shake. Sonny and Cher – no, wait, not that one. Sooty and Sweep! Love that show. Bonnie and - "

"Yeah, Doctor, I get the picture," she giggles. She giggles even more when he pulls her up to lay right next to him, their heads sharing a pillow as they simply look at each other until their laughter fades out.

He turns onto his side and she does the same. She lifts a hand to stroke his sideburn, then lets it drop to his neck, fiddling absently with his collar, before trailing it all the way down his arm and tracing a pattern on the back of his manly hairy hand. She smiles at him impishly, like she's daring him to stop her.

"One day," he murmurs; his breath ghosting over her lips, they're so close. "One day, I'm not going to be able to do this anymore."

She flinches away from him in shock, staring at him with hurt in her eyes.

"No!" he exclaims, his hand shooting to her waist to yank her back to him, bring her closer. "No, I didn't mean it to sound like that. What I mean is, someday I'll lose my carefully constructed self-restraint, and this? This sharing a bed lark? Yeah, that's not going to work. Unless, of course, you - "

She stops him talking with a spontaneous idea that brings her mouth to his.

And like _that, _'someday' becomes this day, because his hands are sliding in different directions, one up to tangle in her hair, the other down to her lower back. He pulls her closer one second then pushes her slightly away the next, so that he can roll on top of her. She gasps in surprise and tightens her arms around his neck as his tongue delves between her parted lips.

When he pulls back to let her breathe, he whispers, "I was thinking about this, and how we can't be like this."

She kisses him again and trails her hand down his back, sending shivers down his spine. "But we can," she tells him. "We can."

He kisses her back in reply. His leg slips between hers and he tries not to collapse his entire weight on her.

His mouth moves from hers to trail across her jawline. "We can't," he mumbles against her neck.

"We are," Rose corrects gently, her confidence in the fact clear and unwavering. "You know we are. We can't _not." _She's astounded to hear him make a growling sort of sound in response, and she decides she loves it even though she doesn't know what it means. "Doctor?"

He lifts his head to look at her properly. "That meant, I think you're right," he clarifies.

"_Oh. _Excellent," she giggles.

"Yep." He inhales sharply when she licks a certain bit of his neck that he's not realised he'd love her to lick until now. "_Rose."_

"Doctor?" she smiles innocently. She tilts her head and bites his earlobe and he sincerely _cannot _help it when he lets out a happy (and a little bit girly) giggle.

"Oh, Rose, what have you done to me?" he murmurs, pulling back slightly to search her eyes. "You interrupted careful thoughts, you know; I never did finish my analysing of the issue of wanting this sort of thing with you. How do you think I should conclude?"

Rose _beams _up at him. "That this, Time Lord, is going to be the first of many times that I will interrupt your careful thoughts in the middle of the night."

"Ah, promises, promises," he grins.

And he kisses her again.


	16. Talk of Boyfriends and Skinnydipping 1

_**A/N: Heya. This one will be split into two chapters. Hope you like :) xx**_

_**Talk of Boyfriends and Skinny-Dipping**_

_**part 1**_

The Doctor and Rose had a lovely time on the planet Borachio one day. Well, a relatively lovely time. Aside from being mistaken for a couple and hence almost being forced into an exchange of gifts and uh, _vows, _everything had gone rather smoothly. Well. They'd almost got executed for their trouble, but it wasn't the most threatening of almost-deaths they'd had over the years. Death by over-consumption of candyfloss...that was so not a good one for the obituary; thank goodness they'd escaped. They got out of it pride intact, anyway. Well. Mostly.

Upon returning to the TARDIS, Rose asked the Doctor what sort of gifts they would have had to exchange, if, theoretically, they were, in actual fact, _betrothed_. He immediately started babbling a lecture-full of details, eventually finishing up with, "And then the man would buy his uh, woman, some sort of nicely-wrapped parcel of gemstones and petals and other pretty things."

"Ha! What a boyfriend you'd be!" Rose laughed.

"Hmmm?" he questioned, swallowing past the sudden lump in his throat.

"Good job they were wrong about us, eh? Can't imagine you doing that!" she giggled.

"Tread softly because you tread on my dreams," he muttered to himself sulkily.

"What was that?" she asked, not hearing his murmur.

"Hmm? Oh. Nothing. Just...poetry..." he replied distractedly, twisting and pulling random buttons and levers on the console, pretending she hadn't just hurt him.

"Doctor...?" she edged tentatively. "Are you...what's wrong?"

"Nothing!" he insisted, still avoiding meeting her eye.

She laid a hand on his arm, and he tensed. He knew then that he'd given himself away. He never flinched from her touch. Not ever. He'd done it now...

"What's going on, Doctor?" she demanded. "Tell me."

"I'm fine, Rose," he huffed, moving away from her, pulling the console screen around to him to studiously absorb the Gallifreyan symbols, reading and re-reading things he really didn't need to read or re-read.

"I know you," she countered. "Something's wrong. What is it?" She yanked on his elbow to turn him around.

Heaving a sigh, he turned to face her, removing his glasses so that he could rub at his eyes wearily. "I'm sorry, I'm just tired, that's all," he lied.

"Rubbish," she retorted hotly, her hand now on his chin to force him to look at her. He watched her unblinkingly as she swallowed heavily. "You're scaring me. Tell me the truth," she whispered.

His expression changed then; his anguish now all about her. He didn't want to _scare _her. He didn't want her to notice the pain her words had invoked at _all._ She may have upset him, but he didn't want her feeling guilty over it. No way. Rose Tyler was supposed to be happy, and happy she would stay.

He rested his hand over hers, still at his chin, and brought them down to their sides, entwining their fingers tightly. "Seriously, Rose," he whispered back, offering her a small smile. "You've got nothing to worry about."

"Is it something I've said? Something I've done?" she asked frantically, involuntarily stepping infinitesimally closer.

"No," he told her firmly, shaking his head. "No, of course not."

"It is, isn't it?" she contested, her voice wavering. "I can tell when you're lying. What have I done? You aren't gonna..." she trailed off, her eyes wandering to the console screen, standing on tiptoes and peering over his shoulder to see where the next stop was.

"Gonna what?" he prompted, watching her sigh in relief when she realised he'd not actually set any co-ordinates; for the Powell Estate or otherwise.

"You were acting so weird, I thought I might've done something to make you take me back to Mum's," Rose admitted quietly.

The Doctor's eyes widened. "What? No!" he exclaimed. "What, just like that? You think I'd drop you home? Just...just...just like..._that_?"

Rose blinked at him shock, unused to hearing such strong, almost angry emotions directed personally at her.

His brow furrowed, he awaited her response. "Well? Don't you trust me?" he demanded.

"Of course I do," she replied, swallowing the lump in her throat. "I just never know what's going on inside that Time Lord brain of yours, do I?"

He rolled his eyes, and abruptly dropped her hand, swiftly turning to pace back and forth in front of her.

"What are you doing? Why are you pacing?" she asked nervously.

"I'm _not_," the Doctor insisted, suddenly coming to a stop. He was back in front of her in a flash. "Listen carefully," he requested quietly. "Right now, these thoughts are going through my head: firstly, I'm not taking you back. You're staying here, right here, with me. For as long as you want - "

" – forever," she interjected, sounding so incredibly certain, even as she worried over his acceptance of that fact.

His hearts clenched at her words, as they always did when she promised him that, and he exhaled roughly. "Good," he replied softly. Tugging his ear in a nervous gesture, he continued, "Secondly, please don't worry about me. That's the last thing you should be doing. I'm just a bit...jittery, I suppose, after our last...well, you know. Brush with death," he said, smiling weakly. "Thirdly, I could really do with a cuppa right now, do you fancy one?"

Rose bit her lip and nodded quickly, rasping out a hurried, "Yeah, I'll do it," before turning to go and put the kettle on.

"And fourthly, or, really, maybe firstly, 'cos I think it's, uh, weeellll, _probably _the most prevalent thought in my mind a good proportion of the time - " he continued, seriously noting that he really, really shouldn't risk ruining everything by saying this, but finding himself completely unable not to. " - I'd rather like to kiss you."

She stopped in her tracks, breathing heavily, certain that she'd misheard.

"Rose?" he murmured urgently, his tone emanating anxiety.

Rose span around so fast it made her feel dizzy. "Yes?" she replied shakily.

"Are you alright?" he asked her, stepping closer, his eyes concentrated on hers.

"Yeah," she breathed. "Yeah, I really am."

His eyes narrowed in brief confusion, but then she was there, right up close, her lips so close to his that all he'd need to do would be lean down an inch or two, and then they'd be kissing.

"Doctor," she whispered, her breath ghosting over his chin. Then, her eyes glinting mischievously, she raised her voice to declare, "Race you to the kitchen!"

The Doctor stood dumbly, watching her run off giggling, and had absolutely no idea what to do. Then, he remembered she'd declared a race, and his competitive nature got the better of him, so he ran after her, wanting to catch up.

He didn't really think of it at the time, because he was a bit distracted, but it occurred to him later on that maybe she'd stopped running after leaving the console room. Because he certainly caught up with her very quickly, and she'd had about ten, maybe twenty, seconds head start.

"Call this a race, Rose Tyler?" he chuckled, diving in front of her to reach the TARDIS kitchen first.

Rose smiled, following him into the room. "Damn," she cursed fondly, with a wide smile. "You win."

"Do I get a prize?" he asked nonchalantly, flicking the switch of the kettle on to boil the water.

She nodded. "Yeah. You said something about a kiss earlier. Maybe _that's _what you ought to redeem as your spoils." She giggled when his eyes widened in hope. "Or you could just win a jar of marmalade. Your call," she shrugged.

He pondered this for a moment, evidently torn. "Can't I have both?" he suggested brightly, as she took the inviting jar out of the cupboard.

"Nope," Rose grinned, waving it in her hand. "Don't be _greedy_. It's one or the other. Don't take too long deciding; I haven't got all day."

"Somewhere to be?" he inquired playfully.

"Depends on what you choose," she shot back instantly, her eyebrow arching.

"It's a really tough decision, though," he teased.

"You didn't mention anything about thinking about marmalade earlier," she pointed out.

"Yeah, but I didn't know we had any left until you just showed me. Best not to think about something you can't have, eh?" the Doctor replied. Then he realised what he'd just said, and the amused look on Rose's face made him flush. "Er, that is...I mean, you know...er...not that I thought I could, uh, as they say, _have_ you..." He cleared his throat awkwardly. "Neither have I actually thought, ahem, about, well, _that. _I mean, you. You, like that. Much. Gah, I mean...! Rassilon, I'm useless at this. Um. Anyway."

Rose looked at the floor for a moment, contemplating whether she should make the offer she was about to make. Then she thought, to hell with it; she'd let him have the ball in his court, and then he could do whatever it was he really wanted.

"You can have me," she said simply, looking at him again. "If you want."

His chest heaved with the sudden rapid speed his breathing had become. "I didn't think..."

"What?" she urged.

"Are you just...messing around?" he asked quietly, his throat dry. "Playing a game?"

"Are you?" she retorted.

"No," he murmured. "I'd always choose you over marmalade; over bananas, even, in fact! You must know that," he finished tenderly.

Rose pursed her lips to hold back a laugh; oh, the sentimental words of the last Time Lord...how romantic they were...

"Is that the closest I'm gonna get to a declaration?" she teased softly, eyes dancing.

"No," he answered instantly. "Well. If you're just pretending, then yes. Wouldn't want to damage my pride now, would I? Got to have some dignity."

"The kettle's boiled," she noted, tilting her head to it.

"I don't really care," he responded distractedly.

"Right," she smiled.

"Well?"

"Well, what?" she asked.

"Well, what do you really..." He gulped. "Um. Feel. What do you really feel?" he finished. Oh Rassilon, he thought to himself, I've become one of _those _men, one of those random, sappy human men who talks about _feelings. _How has she done this to me?

"Are you trying to get me to say it first?" she asked, eyebrows lifting.

The Doctor feigned ignorance. "Say what first?"

"The...you know, those...those words," she babbled, embarrassed; hoping she hadn't read him wrong.

He smiled despite himself. "Which words?"

"The important words," she sighed, annoyed with him for making her spell it out.

"Nope, still don't know what you mean," he teased.

"Well, I guess you'll never know, then, will you?" she mumbled, walking around him to pour out the hot water and put some teabags into their mugs. She reached for the sugar at the same time as the Doctor, and he refused to let go, trapping her fingers against the sugar pot.

Sighing, she looked at him exasperatedly. "What are you doing?"

The Doctor frowned at her, confused at her sudden change of mood, and let go of her hand and the sugar, letting her have it. "I'll be in the console room," he muttered, before turning and fleeing the room, picking up the jar of marmalade on his way out.

Rose hunched over the counter, letting out a long breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding. Why couldn't he just be straight with her for once? Tell her what he meant, instead of being so emotionally inept that it was all down to her again? She was fed up with it. She was always the one putting her feelings out there, waiting for him to dash them the second she had. He could never even finish his sentences properly. He could never even initiate anything further than an intense bit of banter. He needed to man-up. He didn't deserve her saying it first, if he couldn't even just bloody well act on his thoughts and simply _kiss_ her, for Christ's sake!

She breathed in again, sharply. Then, she collected herself, spooned out his four sugars and her two, retrieved the milk from the fridge, and finished making their tea. With another deep breath, she straightened up, and left the kitchen on a mission, holding the mugs in front of her defiantly.

As she walked into the console room, she spilt the tea a bit and almost fell over, only just regaining her balance as the TARDIS landed. She couldn't help but think, a little resentfully, that he could've warned her that they were going somewhere; he knew he hardly ever managed a gentle landing.

She watched him quietly as he walked quickly down the ramp, opening the doors to poke his head outside. Evidently satisfied he'd got the right place, if the smile on his face when he turned back around was anything to go by, he strolled back over to the console.

He caught sight of her then, and smiled softly. "Thought I'd take us somewhere nice to drink the tea," he explained, gesturing for her to come over. She did, and he took the mugs from her hand, tilting with his head in a motion for her to go outside.

Rose's eyes narrowed sceptically.

"Well, go on," he insisted, nodding to the doors again.

She slowly smiled back at him, her sulk slowly dissipating, and opened the doors, stepping outside. "Oh. My. God," she breathed out roughly, mouth hanging open as she stared up at the sky. She definitely liked him again; her bad mood at his cowardly evasions was forgotten.

He followed her outside, and handed her mug to her. "Beautiful, isn't it?" he asked softly, taking in the admiration and awe in her expression and basking in it. It was what filled his dreams at night - if he slept, of course: seeing that smile and look of wonderment on her face. Yearning to cause it, over and over and over again. _She _was beautiful; more beautiful than this place and a thousand other star-filled skies, to him. He had to tell her so. He had to tell her a lot of things, he knew that. He just wished she'd help him. It'd been so long since he'd had to tell someone he - weeellll. Actually, when had he, before? That was one to ponder over. Maybe he really was breaking a trend of several lifetimes with her.

He wondered if she realised just how special to him she was. Just how difficult it was for him to tell her how he felt, because he simply couldn't comprehend the magnitude of it.


	17. Talk of Boyfriends and Skinnydipping p2

_**Talk of Boyfriends and Skinny-Dipping**_

_**Part 2**_

It was a dark night. They'd landed on some sort of jetty, jutting out into the sea. But Rose knew this was nowhere on Earth, because the sky periodically lit up with a bright purple light, every ten seconds or so. She stepped forward and the wooden slacks creaked beneath her feet.

The ocean before her made her feel like a sense of weightlessness commanded her being. She felt so small, but in a good way, caught up in the magical feelings the ambience was conjuring.

She forgot about the tea in her hand, cooling in the breeze, and closed her eyes, smiling as the soft sounds of the atmosphere crackling around her met her ears.

It reminded her of the first time she'd been to a firework display, six years old and _amazed_; she'd just closed her eyes for a brief moment and_ listened_, before opening them again to watch. Only this – this was so much better, so much _more._ She felt so alive, and yet, so enveloped in a gentle happiness that she reckoned she'd be content to stand here, still, forever.

To capture her attention, the Doctor stroked her wrist tenderly where it hung at her side, her mug loosely held in her hand, tea spilling onto the wood and soaking through, and in between, and out, to the sea beneath.

She looked up at him, saw him sipping nonchalantly from his own mug as he watched her carefully, and had the most overwhelming desire to wipe the smug, knowing smile off his face. Not in a cruel way, you understand. She just wanted to surprise him, give him a beautiful shock, like he so often did for her.

So she cocked an eyebrow, poked her tongue between her teeth impishly, and innocently suggested they go skinny dipping in the indigo waters.

The Doctor's mug fell from his hand and rolled along and into the sea with a splash. She had to squint in the sudden dim light, but nevertheless, she saw him swallow; hard.

She bent down and carefully placed her mug upright on the jetty. Then, she stared at the expanse of stunning water, or what she took to be water, anyway, as she slowly unzipped her hoodie.

"Rose," he rasped out hastily. "You, um...you'd better not..."

"Why? Is there something wrong with the water?" she asked, shrugging her hoodie off and pulling her t-shirt over her head.

She watched as he stumbled forward to her, grabbing her wrists. He kept his gaze level with hers and absolutely refused himself the opportunity to glance lower. "No, no, but listen. This place, it's got this...um, _stuff, _these chemical-thingies, in the air - in a nice way! - so you might be feeling a bit less...inhibited now, but when we go back to the TARDIS..."

"I might feel embarrassed?" she pre-empted.

"Mmm," he agreed, gulping.

Rose just shrugged. "Oh well. It's only you that'll see me," she said, glancing around them. "No one else is around."

His eyebrows drew together worriedly. "Rose, I really don't think - "

" – oh, come on!" she scoffed, grasping hold of his tie and deftly removing it from his neck as she continued, "You're the most adventurous, courageous man I've ever known; you're scared of a bit of naked swimming? Shame on you."

The Doctor took a step back and made a show of rolling his eyes, which she saw clearly as the purple light illuminated their surroundings again. "I'm not _scared, _I'm just...I'm thinking of you."

She raised an eyebrow, grinning wickedly.

"No!" he exclaimed, alarmed as he realised what she'd taken that to mean. Not again, blimey. Could he ever get his words right? "I meant, I'm just thinking of your...welfare! Yes, that's right. I'm concerned about your welfare. That's all I was thinking about. Honestly. Nothing...else." He was now lying, of course. He'd protested _far _too much for it to seem genuine.

Rose unbuttoned her jeans and quickly shimmied out of them. "Okay," she replied simply.

"_Rose,_" he said emphatically, now concentrating on her mug on the jetty rather than staring at her half-naked body. "Don't..." he said then – but this time, he didn't sound as insistent.

"What, you're telling me this isn't the reason you brought us here?" she asked cheekily, unclasping her bra and adding it to the pile of clothing building between them.

He let out a strangled moan. "Don't be ridiculous," he murmured, trying to regain his composure. He had just wanted her to be in a better mood, like she had been before she'd gone all weird in the kitchen. He hadn't expected her to strip off right in front of him! Or at all, actually.

It was when she stepped up to him and started to push his jacket off his shoulders that he accidently raised his gaze in surprise - and consequently ended up getting an eyeful of her chest. He squeezed his eyes shut.

Then he realised, as he opened them again about twenty seconds later, that she'd unbuttoned his shirt most of the way down. He gasped, and tugged her hand away half-heartedly.

"You think you can manage the rest yourself?" Rose grinned, as she let go of him and watched his glazed over expression as she bent over slightly to take off her knickers.

"Hmmgh," he said ineffectually, trying with all his will not to let his eyes stray from hers. His hands unconsciously went to his shirt, and he undid the ones she had not, shrugging the garment off without a second thought. He even took off his converses without any prompting from her.

Seeing he was finally following her lead, Rose beamed at him. "Yay!" she laughed, trailing her hand down his chest. "You're really gonna - _oomph!_" she abruptly exclaimed, as she found herself being grasped roughly around the waist and pushed backwards – off the jetty and into the ocean.

After recovering herself from sinking under the water, she spluttered in the Doctor's face, astounded to see him grinning smugly at her as he held her afloat while he treaded water. "Alright?" he asked innocently, his hands each carefully placed at her waist and lower back.

"Alright?" she repeated loudly. "That scared the life out of me!"

"I know," he commented casually, pretending the feel of her pressed against him wasn't addling his mind and self-control. "I can feel your heart beating _way _too fast..."

She swallowed thickly, wondering how she could've thought she'd have the upper hand in this game of theirs when he still had his trousers on but she was completely sans clothing. Why had she taken everything off without him shedding his clothes first? Damn it, she hated hindsight. Unless her sight was viewing the Doctor's _be_hind, of course; but that was beside the point.

"...and," he continued ponderingly, as if he wasn't remotely affected by the following fact, "You're squeezing me rather tight."

Rose realised then that her arms were locked around his neck and her legs were both wrapped around one of his. "Well," she began, trying to steady her breathing. "What'd you expect, nearly drowning me like that!"

"I'd never let you drown," he countered softly.

She let out a shaky breath and let go of him slowly, putting some distance between them by beginning to backstroke away.

"Um, Rose..." he called out to her, his voice surprising her with its huskiness. "Can you please not swim like that?"

"Why?" she called back to him, now letting herself float at the surface.

"Because every time the sky lights up, I can see...everything..." he mumbled.

Rose lifted her head and mock-scowled at him. "And you don't like what you see?"

"What!" he exclaimed, eyes widening in horror at the thought that he might've upset her again. "No, did I say that? I didn't say that. Quite the contrary. You look, uh, lovely, very lovely and um...oh. You're teasing me."

She'd started to giggle, and he finally caught on.

"Rose," he whined, swimming away from her.

"Doctor," she called cheerfully, swimming back up to him. He tried to move away but she kept up. "I don't know why you're so reluctant to just _relax. _Seriously, it's such a beautiful place. Just chill."

"I can't!" he exclaimed in frustration, cross with himself more than her.

"Why not? I thought you said there's chemicals or whatever in the air. How come you aren't losing _your _inhibitions?" Rose teased, sneaking a hand to his ribs and tickling him underwater.

He leapt away from her best he could in the situation. "Superior biology," he grumbled.

"Oh," she realised.

He turned to face her, watching her carefully as he spoke. "Thing is, Rose, you still haven't let me kiss you, yet."

Her eyebrows rose. _Finally. _"Well, that's easily remedied," she smiled, edging closer to him.

He edged away just as quickly. "Yeah, but now you're naked," he said, sounding distressed.

"So?" she laughed.

"_So?" _he repeated sarcastically. "So, you're _naked. _That's explanation in itself."

"How is it?"

"Because. You. Are. Naked," he said slowly, as if it were obvious.

"I repeat: so?"

His jaw clenched in frustration. "Rose."

"What?" she grinned. "Look, so what if I've got no clothes on? We'd've ended up in that situation anyway."

"We...would?" he gulped.

"Yep."

He shivered despite the warmth of the water. "Right."

Rose bit her lip ponderingly. "Doctor, you do realise you were the one who pushed me in here, yeah?"

He sighed to himself. "A moment of impulsive madness. It was your fault. You've been teasing me all night. Anyway, you were planning on jumping in. I just sped up the process."

"By flinging yourself in with me," she pointed out, recalling the way he'd held onto her afterwards.

"Seizing an opportunity," he admitted. "Listen, Rose..."

"Yeah?"

"Maybe we should get out of here."

"Why?"

"The temperature's getting cooler, haven't you noticed?"

"Bit preoccupied," she grinned. "But yeah, now you mention it, the water's not as warm as it was."

The Doctor nodded, swimming over to the jetty and hoisting himself up. He sat on the edge and held out his hands. "Come on then; that's enough skinny dipping for one night."

"You say that with a promise in your voice that it'll happen again," Rose smirked.

"Maybe," he answered, shrugging. "Let me help you up."

"And you so don't have an ulterior motive here, do you?" she grinned, as he pulled her out of the water. The force of her weight sent him tilting backwards a bit, and then she sat on his lap to gain purchase, sufficiently surrendering his limbs useless; he flopped onto his back with a groan.

"_Rose_." Parts of him thought himself so incredibly lucky to have Naked Rose on his lap. Mostly, though, he was concentrating on not focusing on the issue, rather reluctant to relinquish control on top of an overstated piece of wood.

"Sorry," she said, muffling a laugh as she managed to scramble off him and stand up without losing her balance and falling into the sea again. Without a thought not to, Rose picked up his shirt and slipped it on.

The Doctor belatedly opened his eyes as he stood up too, and they widened theatrically at what they saw.

"What?" Rose said defensively. "At least it's long enough to cover me up. Can't put my jeans back on now I'm soaking wet, can I?"

He answered via shaking his head mutely.

She gathered up the rest of their clothes, and her mug, and started walking back to the TARDIS.

The Doctor stared after her, completely approving of her decision to wear his light blue shirt. His light blue shirt that was now wet from contact with her skin. His light blue shirt that was now transparently showing off Rose's curves, amidst the nice purple glow from the sky. He loved that purple glow. He loved that light blue shirt.

And also, the woman it contained, apparently, for he called out to her distractedly, "I love you, Rose."

She turned around, but he couldn't see her expression because unfortunately, the sky had gone dark again.

His hearts thumped nervously in his chest, and he longed for her to say something so that he could concentrate his hearing on that, rather than the blood rushing in his ears.

Resigned to her silence, he closed his eyes, wishing he'd kept quiet. But then, he felt her arms wrap around his neck, and then, he felt her lips on his, and _then _it occurred to him that she was kissing him, so he kissed her back. His hands came up to her hips and pulled her flush against him, just as purple lit up the sky once more.

He walked her backwards, feeling for the edge of the TARDIS, pushing her through the doors when he found it, forgetting about her recently-dropped clothing. They stumbled down the corridor together, him touching every bit of her he could reach.

"Are you...are you sure?" he gasped out against her neck as she tugged him through her bedroom door.

"Of course I am," she replied breathlessly.

"But," he began, pausing as she kissed him again. "The chemicals...?"

"I've wanted this for ages, it's got nothing to do with those bloody chemicals," she answered hastily. "I've changed my mind, by the way. I think you'd be a good boyfriend. Now stop not-kissing me."

He grinned, and playfully pushed her onto her bed before following her eagerly. "I'd be delighted to."

**-x-**

_**A/N: Hope you enjoyed it :) Let me know what you think x**_


	18. Need a Hand?

_**Need a Hand?**_

"So, Doctor..." she begins, and he knows at once his in for a bout of the Rose Inquisition.

He pops his head out from beneath the console. "Yes, Rose?"

She puts down the magazine she's been reading on the jumpseat and stands up, walking over to sit down beside him. She looks at him contemplatively and he sighs in impatience. His sigh turns into a groan when she starts to smile at him in that way she does when she wants something. The Rose Smile he can't resist.

"What is it?" he asks, well, almost whines, really; because although he'll inevitably give in to whatever her request is this time, just like he always does, he'll certainly have a good moan first. "Do you want to visit your Mum again? 'Cos we only just came back from visiting there, what, last week? And I thought we could go and see the -"

" – I don't want to go visit Mum," she interrupts firmly, suppressing a giggle.

"Oh. Right, good. That's a relief, that. She welcomed me with a kiss, last time! A kiss! Goodness' knows what's got into her head recently – it's almost as if she likes me or something!" he chuckles.

"You know she likes you," Rose smiles. "Part of the family, you are. She likes to wind you up and give you a big slobbery kiss. She'll do it every time from now on, mark my words."

"Oh good grief, haven't I had enough torture in my life thus far?" he sighs dramatically, and points a finger at her. "I hope you realise that I only go through all that to keep you happy, Miss Tyler! There is no enjoyment in being snogged by your mother."

"Try telling Howard that," Rose giggles.

"Yes, well. I'm sure _he _enjoys it."

She tilts her head to the side and he can tell she's thinking over something she wants to ask him.

He tugs his ear anxiously. "_What, _Rose? You're starting to unnerve me."

"Sorry. I was just...wondering about something."

"I could tell."

"Do you..."

"Do I what?"

"When I'm, like...not with you or something - "

"- when are you ever not with me?" he snorts. His lips curve into a teasing smile. "Can't seem to shake you off, Rose Tyler - always hanging around, you are."

"Pfft, you can talk!" she laughs. "You're the one who insists on doing everything together. I mean, why should I have to go around food stores with you while you collect _every single _variety of jam in existence?"

"Well, this is a co-habitation thing we've got here. You can't expect me to do the food shop on my own, especially in 21st century London." He wrinkles his nose.

She raises an eyebrow. "What's wrong with 21st century London?"

"Nothing!" he answers hastily. "It's...my favourite, er...time era. Anyway! What were you going to say?"

"Well," she begins, watching him carefully. "I was just thinking, do you ever...you know...see anyone?"

He squints at her in confusion. "See anyone? I see lots of people. Clarification, Rose – be more specific."

She rolls her eyes at him. "Like...women?"

He continues to look at her as if she's gone mad. "I'm assuming you mean not including you and your mother."

She sighs. "I _mean, _potential, you know, _sexual - "_

"- what!" he interrupts loudly, jumping in surprise. "Okay, so now I know you've gone mad."

"So you don't, then."

"When would I have time?" he retorts, baffled.

"When I'm asleep or something," she shrugs.

"You think I'd..." he trails off in utter confusion and feels a little bit hurt by her suggestion. "I wouldn't do that."

She ponders that for a moment. "So...if you had time, would you?"

"Would I _what? _Find a random woman and just..."

"You're an alien, but you're still a man. Most men have certain...needs..."

He rubs at his eyes wearily and moves to sit next to her, leaving his wires and sonic screwdriver behind. "Rose, I'm not really like most men."

"Right." There's a brief pause before she speaks again. "But, don't you ever just get the urge to...you know..."

He swallows thickly. He can't believe she's asking him this. It's such a futile conversation and he's dreadfully nervous. "Rose..."

"It's nothing to feel guilty over, if that's what you're thinking."

"What isn't, going around sleeping with random women?" he retorts sarcastically. "No, that's not immoral at all."

"No, I didn't mean that, I meant...getting..." She averts her eyes from his and mutters, "Getting...turned on."

He pretends he doesn't make the yelp of astonishment he makes and stares at her unblinkingly. "Right..." he exhales slowly.

"It's perfectly natural," she rationalises blithely. "I mean, it's not like _we_...resolve anything...but then again, it's not like we _couldn't..._"

His mouth drops open. "What are you suggesting?" he squeaks, his voice a tad too girly to be dignified.

"Oh I dunno," she shrugs casually. "Just thought perhaps we could help each other out in that respect. Give each other a hand, so to speak."

His mind boggles at the innuendo laced within her words. "What?" His pitch rises even higher this time and he winces in embarrassment.

"I don't know why you're so outraged by the idea," she says nonchalantly. "People do it all the time."

"Do _what?"_

She sighs at him good-naturedly and decides to just blatantly put her point across. "Basically, Doctor, we've been travelling together in the TARDIS for nearly two years now, getting in each other's personal space, holding hands and hugging and god knows what else and not _once_ have you acted on the thoughts running through your head."

"What thoughts!" he demands.

"I dunno; whatever thoughts you think that involve me and you and that jumpseat," she replies exasperatedly, nodding towards said piece of furniture. "And probably every other horizontal – and vertical, come to that – surface in the TARDIS; didn't you say you've got superior mind and all that? Good imagination, I bet. Point is - "

"- the point is," he interrupts hastily. "You're not making sense!"

"You honestly haven't considered it?"

He can feel his hearts racing and tries not to look too obviously flustered. "No!"

"Then what's with all the lingering looks over the console?" she points out.

"There are no _lingering looks!_" he lies.

"Right, okay," she says sarcastically. "So what about all those times I'm sitting quite happily on the other side of the sofa in the library, quite content with my book and my cup of tea, and then you sit there staring at me until I pay you some attention?"

"I do _not_ do that," he denies fruitlessly.

"And then when I do put my tea down and turn to look at you, you seize my hand and drag me over to you so that I'm right up close while you lecture me about this planet or that planet, or tell me jokes that you get annoyed if I don't laugh at, or read a story from so-and-so 'best author in the universe.'"

He frowns grumpily. "What's wrong with sitting together?"

"Nothing, absolutely nothing," she answers. There's a pause. "But you do snuggle. A lot."

"I do not _snuggle," _he replies, outraged. "Time Lords do not _snuggle."_

Rose giggles at his scandalised expression. "Well, _you_ snuggle with _me_."

"I thought you liked it, anyway," he says without thinking. He immediately squeezes his eyes shut in embarrassment when she smirks in triumph.

"I _do_," she says, and his eyes snap open again. "But that's my point, see. We hug and we hold hands and we snuggle and if we're out on an adventure or one of us has a nightmare, we sometimes even fall asleep in the same bed together. And yet, you've not once kissed me, or tried anything...you know, _sexual, _and I -"

"I know I don't look it but I'm an old man, Rose," he reminds her quietly. "A ridiculous amount older than _you."_

Her lips curve into a tempting smile. "So what, does that mean you can't have a little fun?"

His eyes narrow at her words. "I do have fun!" he protests. "We have lots of fun!"

Rose rolls her eyes and moves closer to him. He doesn't shift away – he never can step away from her - just raises an eyebrow. "You know what sort of fun I mean," she says softly. He now gets the impression that she's genuinely curious rather than trying to put pressure on him. "You said you've still got the moves..."

"Well. Perhaps I was a little...over-confident about that," he admits, swallowing thickly.

"Really? Seemed pretty sure of yourself to me."

"I was jealous," he blurts out without realising what he's saying. His eyes widen along with Rose's and he tries to backpedal. "I mean, for your company. I mean, your friendship. Jack was swanning in with his good looks and his romancing and gaining your attention and..." he shrugs as the rest of his point trails off.

"So when we were talking about _dancing_," she begins, and he's mortified to find himself turning pink at the memory. Time Lords definitely aren't supposed to _blush. _"You were definitely not thinking about actual...you know..." she waggles her eyebrows suggestively.

He tugs at his ear nervously. "Of course I wasn't," he denies quickly.

"You sure? Nothing to be ashamed about if you were..."

"I wasn't," he insists.

"I was," she counters, and his jaw goes slack for a moment. Then, he shuts his mouth again and just stares at her in shock. "I'm not being funny but how the hell can I not think about that when you're so..."

Throat dry, he pre-empts her sentence hoarsely, "I don't mean to lead you on or anything, Rose."

Her eyebrows rise. "I was gonna say 'gorgeous,' but sure, we can go with 'Mr Mixed Signals' instead."

He blinks at her.

"Doctor?" she prompts.

"You think I'm gorgeous?" he asks quietly. He prays she isn't going to tease him too much for sounding so hopeful.

"What do you care if I do?" she retorts. "Not exactly like I'm allowed to doing anything about it, is it?"

He's about to suggest she can, actually, if she really actually wants too, but she speaks again before he has the chance.

"Look, I'm not saying that we should have a proper, serious relationship or anything – I know you probably don't want that sort of thing, commitment-phobe that you are – I'm just suggesting that really, if you think about it, we're good enough friends to surely, at least, have sex maybe once?" she suggests eagerly.

"Rose..." he says slowly, his chest aching unpleasantly at her words. He can't have a one-night stand with her. Not one night. He just can't.

"It's just, two years is a _really long time, _and I'm getting a bit..." she searches for the right word, can't seem to find one so she finishes lamely with, "...randy..." and winces at her phrasing.

The Doctor's breathing becomes a little more erratic and he seriously considers he might have to have a lie down in a minute. He's inconceivably pleased with her implication that she hasn't, ahem, been with anyone since she's been travelling with him. "Rose..." he begins again, sounding just a tad happier.

"You know, maybe we could just have a friends-with-benefits thing, yeah? It's not that illicit a proposal, lots of people do it, like I said, and to be honest, it'll help me concentrate a lot better on saving the world and all that. I keep getting distracted and it's really not conducive to our lifestyle."

"Distracted?" he croaks out.

"Yeah, like by my over-active imagination and its creative ways of undressing you with my mind and stuff," she explains matter-of-factly. "Especially when you've got your glasses on. I don't know how you expect me to concentrate when you're wearing those - _right in front of me. _Seriously, it's unlawful._"_

"You like the glasses?" he murmurs, the corner of his mouth quirking up.

"God, yeah. They're really sexy. Anyway, my point is, you're a man, right? You've got the necessary parts, even if they are hardly used - "

" – _Rose..."_

"And basically, what I'm saying is, casual sex would be beneficial to our everyday lives. Okay?" she concludes. He stares at her, utterly bewildered for a moment and she suppresses a grin. "Right, good. So...think that over. I'll go make us a cup of tea."

She smiles briefly and then leaves him sitting there looking like...well, looking like someone who's just had his best friend announce she wants to have casual sex with him, come to think of it...while she goes into the kitchen to put the kettle on.

She's sitting at the table, sipping from her favourite mug, when he abruptly bursts into the kitchen about seven minutes later.

"Ah, there you are. Your tea's getting cold so you'd better - " she starts, but he cuts across her.

"- Rose," he exhales roughly. "I do not want to have casual sex with you just to satisfy your understandable but problematic human urges."

She puts her mug on the table and stares at it, nodding her head acceptingly. "Right. Okay. Oh well. Just a thought."

"Rose - "

She looks back at him. " – no, it's alright, Doctor. Don't worry about it."

He tries to interject again but she drains her mug in one final gulp then stands up, placing it in the sink and leaning against the counter, facing away from him. "Leave it," she says softly. "Don't make it anymore embarrassing."

He stands there hopelessly, watching her slumped shoulders and bowed head. "Rose, you haven't let me finish," he says quietly.

She turns around and forces a jovial smile on her face. "Nothing left to say, is there? I'm just gonna..." she gestures to the door. "I'll see you in the morning."

She starts to leave but he quickly grabs her wrist, drawing her towards him. She looks up at him questioningly and he stares into her eyes. "I do not want to have casual sex with you just to satisfy your understandable but problematic human urges," he repeats. "Because - "

"- yeah you've already said that," she sighs, glancing away.

He takes her chin in his hand to urge her back to face him. "_Because, _I want to make love to you every single day of our forever to also satisfy my _not_-understandable and even _more_ problematic Time Lord urges."

Her eyes almost pop out of her head in surprise and she gasps loudly. "You...what? I...you...!" She pauses, clears her throat, and tries to regain her composure. "Really?"

"Yes. Sorry."

"You don't have to be sorry," she protests, shaking her head.

"Weeelll. I don't want to make things awkward. Your friendship is the most important thing in my life. I would hate to ruin it because my dormant sexuality has suddenly arisen – oh dear; sorry, pun very much not intended – to tell me that it really thinks you and I should..." He coughs awkwardly. "Go that extra step."

"Trust me, our friendship won't be ruined," she ensures him hastily. She couldn't believe her luck. The Doctor actually wants her. _The Doctor._

He smiles at her when she reaches for his hand, and entwines their fingers tightly. "Do you fancy me, Rose Tyler?"

She rolls her eyes. "I've already told you I think you're gorgeous, remember. So kind of _yes."_

He tilts his head closer to her. "Good. That's good. I fancy you, too."

She swallows thickly. "You do?"

"Yes," he says emphatically, squeezing her hand. "I do. Very much."

"Right...good. That's...good."

"Yeah."

They look at each other for a few moments and then promptly burst into giggles.

"I can't believe we are actually having this conversation," she laughs.

"Well, you started it!"

"Well somebody had to!"

"Ah, touché," he shrugs.

"So...are you saying that there really _are _lingering looks across the console?" she smiles impishly.

"Of course there are. Not just from me, either," he adds, giving her a cheeky wink.

"Why have you never said anything, then?"

"Well, I..." He tugs at his ear again. "I haven't really...partaken in that sort of, er, activity, for quite awhile. Hadn't really thought about it for a bit - and by _a bit_ I mean years and years and _years._ And then, you turned up in my life and I - " he cuts himself off quickly.

"You...?" she prompts, biting her lip.

"Well, you know what. I just told you."

"You seriously want to..."

"Yeah," he laughs nervously.

"You said, 'every single day of our forever'...did you mean that?"

His cheeks turn pink. "Erm...yes. If...if you want."

"Yeah, I want," she grins.

"Excellent," he grins back.

"You also substituted the words 'casual sex' for 'make love,'" she points out, sounding a little nervous. "Did you mean that, too?"

"Yes," he answers definitively.

"So when you say you fancy me, do you also mean that you - "

He takes a deep breath and impulsively decides to interrupt her.

" – are in love with you? Yes," he interjects quickly, eager to say the words before he loses his nerve. "I am."

Her heart rate increases even more. "You're..."

"Yes," he nods.

She beams, and grabs his face in her hands to draw him down for a hard kiss on the lips. He responds instantly, his hands shooting to her waist to bring her closer, fitting her against him in a way that makes them both sigh with contentment.

When she breaks off to breathe, his mouth lingers at her cheek, and he whispers, "I take it that's alright, then."

"That you love me?"

"Yeah."

"Of course!" she laughs. Then she adds, somewhat shyly, "I love you too."

His smile matches hers as he kisses her again, and they stumble backwards, trapping her between him and the kitchen table. She hears the Doctor's forgotten mug of tea get knocked over but can't bring herself to care, because he's pushing her against the table and kissing her relentlessly.

"So, we're not just going to have a friends-with-benefits thing, then?" he pants when he pulls back.

She tilts her head and pretends to contemplate that. "I think I'd rather be your _girlfriend," _she teases.

He growls, and kisses her again.


	19. Taking Her Someplace Else

**A/N: This is for David Tennant to placate his naive fanboy notion that there's no **_**you know what **_**on board the TARDIS.**

**Taking Her Someplace Else**

"And then he just _lunged at me! _Full set of gnashers, too – and Rose, that's a _lot _of teeth. Forty-four, to be precise. Anyway, he's there, right in my face, spraying this disgusting phlegm all over me!" narrated the Doctor enthusiastically, practically jumping up and down as he spoke.

"Eugh, that's disgusting!" Rose laughed. She patted his arm. "Too much information, there, Doctor."

"And you – where were _you, _eh? Off gallivanting, no doubt! Instead of coming to my rescue!" He tutted playfully. "And now you're laughing at me. Well. Aren't you nice."

"_I _was trying to find the fire extinguisher!" she protested through her giggles.

"What on Earth were you trying to find that for?" he retorted, baffled. "What harm's that gonna do to a Pheltop? He's got an armoured plate on his head, Rose! Wouldn't knock him out for toffee, a fire extinguisher!"

"No harm whatsoever, you nimwit," she answered, shaking her head.

"Oi!" he cried, mildly insulted at her insult. He wasn't that insulted, however, as she'd said in an affectionate, fond sort of tone. Almost like a term of endearment...gosh, sometimes, he really wondered when he'd become so...incredibly like a man in love. Honestly? It was unnerving that he couldn't, for the life of him, remember a time when he wasn't besotted with the woman in front of him. Luckily, for some strange reason, she had not, as yet, worked this fact out.

"I was _going to distract it," _she explained slowly, as if talking to a child.

"_How?"_

"I dunno! By spraying the foam all over him or something! Or all over you, I hadn't quite made up my mind yet." She shrugged innocently.

"Oi!" he shouted again, but he was laughing earnestly.

"What? It would've turned him right off you, you know it would've. I know I wouldn't fancy my dinner getting covered in that white foamy stuff."

"You'd still fancy me, though, right?" he asked cheekily.

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, sure," she placated him sarcastically.

"So anyway! On with my story..." he continued, leaning against the console.

"I was there, you know," she sighed. But secretly she was fighting a grin. He was so adorable, even when he was retelling an adventure she was in the bloody room for. He liked to show off his grand courage, you see. And Rose liked to let him, because when she did, he often spontaneously treated her to a shopping trip. Which meant a new pair of shoes or jeans or something. Which meant Rose was a very happy girl.

"I literally just said, very calmly, 'I hope you're going to brush your teeth before you eat me, I don't want to catch some sort of Pheltop disease.' Very brave, that, really - considering he'd threatened to eat me limb by limb as opposed to gobbling me up in one go if I so much as uttered a word."

"I'm very proud of you," she grinned.

He poked his tongue out at her. "So there I am, pinned up against the wall by his huge claws – well, now, I say 'his.' I keep referring to it as a 'he,' but actually, I'm not so sure. For all I know, it could have been a female trying to mate with me or something," he pondered thoughtfully. He arrogantly straightened his tie and Rose burst into laughter again.

He glared at her jokingly and pushed himself off the console, closing the distance between them step by step as he spoke. "And _then,_" he exclaimed theatrically, "He – she; whatever – looks at me with these scary red eyes and _growls, _and I go: 'Wow, what a lovely set of six eyes you've got.' And there's this pause, this quiet little tense pause where I think, yay, I'm so clever, it's not going to eat me!" Then he shuddered and his voice lowered as he said, "And then it pressed a huge, slobbering _kiss _on my forehead!"

"Thank goodness it didn't go for the lips!"

"Well, one doesn't do that on a first date, does one?" he laughed.

"Tell me about it," Rose muttered. "Or the second, or third, or fourth, or..."

The Doctor either didn't hear her little comment or pretended not to. "It's impolite, un-chivalrous - presumptuous, even!"

"And what did you do then?" she smirked. She remembered giggling to herself as she'd continued her search for something to distract the thing with without alerting her own presence to it in the meantime. And she remembered the Doctor's girly squeals of shock and repulsion as the thing set its lips upon him.

"Well," he mumbled, now looking a bit chastened. "I just sort of...stood there, in shock. Not every day you get kissed on the forehead by a Pheltop; what was I supposed to do?"

"You're really s'posed to move _away_ when that happens!" she teased, tongue between teeth.

"How, exactly? Did I not mention the _claws! _That pinned me to the wall? Hmmm?_"_

"Well, I'm sure you could've thought of something," she said, raising an eyebrow. She bit her lip thoughtfully. "Or maybe you're not the big, manly hero I thought you were..." she trailed off mock-wistfully, walking backwards away from him.

"Hmph!" he scoffed in his defence, before muttering, "Love you too!"

As the words left his mouth, he went completely rigid, staring at her with wide eyes.

"Of course you do! How could you not?" she laughed brightly, and he could tell from her hesitant-but-joking tone that she was letting him have a get-out there. Save him from embarrassment, from having to explain himself; save him from stuttering that he didn't mean it, it was just turn of phrase. Or save him from pretending he meant it, just in a platonic way, not...anything else. Save him from an awkward silence.

For once in his life, the Doctor realised he didn't want a get-out.

He sniffed, and broke her gaze, turning around to face the console. He took in a deep breath as he silently twisted a few knobs and pulled a lever, before turning around to face her and her sarcasm again with a serious expression. "I do, though."

That was when everything seemed to perform in slow motion in front of the Doctor's eyes.

He watched her eyes widen an almost imperceptible amount. He saw the very millionth of a second that the remote control car - which was the distraction she had eventually found and used to lure the Pheltop out of the room and away from the Time Lord - slipped from her weakened grasp and fell to the console room floor with a loud clatter. He noticed, with a little trepidation and no small amount of distraction, that her mouth was opening and closing quickly as she fought for something to reply with.

"It's alright," he offered, feeling generous. He had just literally sprung a possibly life-changing fact on his best friend. "You don't have to say it back, or anything." He gave her a gentle smile and turned back to the controls, fiddling here and there and not really doing anything, just trying to distract himself from the irrationally fast thumping of his hearts and the sinking feeling in his stomach as the silence stretched on and on and on and on and –

"Doctor."

She tapped his shoulder when he didn't reply, urging him to turn around.

He complied, heaving a sigh and wondering if he should have already set the course for London.

She looked deep into his eyes, leaning to peer closely.

"Um, Rose, what are you doing?" he asked quietly, trying to ignore the fact that her lips were a mere bloody _centimetre _away from his.

"I'm - " she started, but then she lost her balance a bit and stumbled into him. He caught her around the waist and stayed silent. "Thanks." Swallowed heavily; and, "I was just trying to tell if you were really you or not. Or if, you know, you were drunk? Or maybe hypnotised."

She shrugged simply, as if what she had said made any sense. "Why would you think I was any of those things?" he asked her curiously.

She rolled her eyes. "Because you just said something that I never expected to hear you say."

His lips quirked upwards. "I'm me. I'm not drunk. I'm not hypnotised. I love you, and I am extremely embarrassed I told you so, if this is the reaction I get."

Rose grinned, tongue between teeth in that tempting way that she does, and then she kissed him. Quickly and chastely and he didn't even have time to react.

"I love you too," she told him when she pulled back.

He felt like he was going to explode. Literally. This would be it. Spontaneous explosion and _boom_, he'd regenerate again. He was going to explode and die in utter disbelief and no small amount of joy. Because of that woman. Again. That woman there, in front of him, was going to kill him, again. She was Rose Tyler, and she just said she loved him too, and he was the Doctor, who within the next ten seconds was most definitely Going. To. Explode.

She kissed him again, a little more firmly, and caught his bottom lip between her teeth.

Yeah, he was going to explode. If he didn't _melt_ first. He could feel his legs going weird. Was this normal?

He gripped the console behind him, leaning against it for support. "Rose," he murmured, voice low. "Are you...do you..._really?_"

She smiled, and yanked him towards her by his tie. "Yes. Really. Really really. I really really really love you, Doctor."

"That's...that's..." he stuttered, his breath ghosting across her lips.

"Brilliant?" she supplied with a wink.

"Oh yes," he agreed, before pressing his lips to hers. His right hand wound itself into her hair and his left sought out the curve of her waist, pulling her roughly against him as they practically moulded together and snogged the life out of each other. "Thank you for distracting it, by the way," he mumbled against her jaw as he pressed kisses there, allowing her to inhale some oxygen.

"Anytime," she breathed out roughly. "Only did it 'cos I was jealous, though, I hope you know that," she teased, starting to giggle.

"Ah, that's why, was it?" he chuckled, his fingertips slipping beneath the hem of her top to trace her lower back delicately.

"Mmmhmm," she grinned. He kissed her again, and her hands found their way to his hair to tug at it wonderfully. He pressed even closer to her, delighting in the way they fit against one another, losing himself in their embrace.

Before he truly registered what was happening, he'd pushed her onto the captain's chair and was hovering over her with his tie loosened and his shirt's top three buttons undone.

"Ah," he said, when he realised where they were.

"You alright?" she asked, playfully trailing her hands down his chest.

"Hmm, just...this is a bit weird," he admitted.

Rose frowned. "Is it? Why?" she asked, baffled. She loved him, he loved her, they'd kissed, would hopefully do more...what was weird about it?

"I dunno, it's just...the TARDIS. I don't think...here, I don't think..." he trailed off, his brow furrowing discontentedly. He got off her and stood up, looking at her warily.

"Are you saying that you feel uncomfortable kissing inside the TARDIS? What, because she can...see?" she asked, propping herself up on her elbows.

"The kissing's fine," he told her honestly. "It's what comes after the kissing that makes me feel uncomfortable."

Rose bit back a grin. "What comes after the kissing then, eh?"

He rolled his eyes. "Lots of things," he answered, a light blush creeping onto his cheeks. "And it's...I dunno, I just feel weird about it. The TARDIS is sentient, and...yeah."

"Is she prudish?" Rose teased, feigning an understanding smile.

He mock-scowled at her. "She might be," he said defensively.

Rose jumped up and laid a hand on the console. "Are you prudish?" she asked the TARDIS.

The TARDIS hummed but Rose was unsure whether it was in agreement or disagreement. "Where are we at the moment? The vortex?" she inquired.

"Yeah," he agreed, looking at her curiously.

"Well, then," she replied. "Only one thing for it."

"What's that?"

"Take us someplace else so you can...take me someplace else," she answered with a mischievous smile.

His eyes widened and his jaw went slack. After a few moments, recovering his wits again, he pointed his finger at her. "That's...you're..."

"Naughty?" she put in with a grin. "Yeah, I like to think so."

He shook his head at her despairingly, then grinned back. "Where would you like to go?"

"Anywhere, _absolutely _anywhere, that you won't feel uncomfortable," she answered easily.

"Right," he nodded, chuckling. "Well, then. There are thousands of places to choose from..."

"In which case, it sounds like we're never gonna get bored," Rose beamed.

He chuckled again. "Wise words, Rose Tyler. Wise words."


	20. Chips, Kisses, and Favourite Things

**A/N: Here's the fluff I promised. Set a day after the 'The Stone Rose' DW novel's adventure, with the assumption of being mid-series 2 timeline-wise. Hope you enjoy x**

_**Chips, Kisses and Favourite Things**_

"Oi! Get your own!" Rose laughed, snatching her bag of chips away from his prying hands.

"What's yours is mine," the Doctor retorted smilingly.

She nudged his arm. "Is that right?"

"Oh yes."

"How did you work that one out?"

"Kindly remember that you've been living with me free of charge for the last few years," he pointed out smugly. "I reckon I'm entitled to a few of your chips."

"I pay you back with my ample supply of companionship and good humour, and don't you forget it," she giggled.

"Weelll, I s'pose I can't argue with that. Although, if The Authorities ever ask, you pay me with real money, not yourself, 'cos who knows what they'll think otherwise," he said playfully, waggling his eyebrows. "Companionship may be a very broad term, for all they know."

"Oi!" she exclaimed, eyes wide and trying not to laugh; instead, waving a chip in front of his face in feigned indignation.

He opened his mouth and ate the chip from her hand.

"Hey!" she exclaimed.

"What? I thought you were offering it to me," he smirked, still chewing.

Rose rolled her eyes. "Honestly."

He grinned at her wolfishly, and flung his arm around her shoulders. "So, where do you want to go next, Rose Tyler?"

Her head rested against his shoulder as she considered his question. She thoughtfully ate another chip, before asking, "What's your favourite thing in the universe?" as her answer.

The Doctor swallowed thickly, his mouth suddenly dry. His eyes flickered down to her, and he anxiously tugged at his ear with his free hand.

After a few moments of silence, she shifted to meet his gaze. "Doctor?"

He looked at her steadily, not breaking eye contact. "Favourite thing, you say?" he murmured hoarsely.

"Yeah..." she said slowly, her brow creased in confusion.

Something dropped onto her cheek from the sky then, and he realised it was raining. His face broke out into a grin.

"What is it?" she asked eagerly, because his smile was contagious.

He let out a bark of laughter and shook his head at himself in wry amusement, watching as the droplets of water started coming down more quickly, landing on her eyelashes and hair and nose and chin. He hardly felt the rain on himself; he was too entranced with looking at his...his best friend.

"Doctor?" she prompted, feeling like she was missing out on some big joke, whilst absently swiping her hand across her face to keep the rain out of her eyes.

He was still chuckling, but he composed himself to answer her. "So, favourite things. Weeellll, I like raindrops on Roses, and whiskers on - "

Rose rolled her eyes and interrupted him. "Oh my god, you're so cheesy."

He chuckled again, and tucked a long, slightly wet strand of her hair behind her ear before continuing, " – kittens. Bright copper kettles – they are always useful. Ooh, and those warm woollen mittens you can get, you know, to keep your hands nice and toasty. And then there's - "

"Alright, alright," she laughed. "I get the idea. Can we go home? It's getting a bit wet out here."

He smiled widely at her, warmth and happiness bubbling up within him at her casual use of the word _home _in reference to the TARDIS. "Home. Yeah, let's," he agreed, taking her hand and hauling her up with him. Then he frowned. "Ah. Um, Rose. Any idea where we parked the TARDIS earlier today?"

She bit her lip thoughtfully, and he so wished there was a lyric from that song that he could attribute to _that._ 'When the dog bites' somehow just could not fit. Rose Tyler was most definitely not a dog. And he was pretty sure that a Rose bite would not make him sad in the least.

"Somewhere...that way?" she tried, not sounding all that sure but pointing to the east. She tossed the chips wrapper into a bin and twirled in a circle, trying to remember which direction they came in. It was a bit difficult to judge, seeing as the rain was coming down even harder now, obscuring things from sight.

The Doctor tilted his head and squinted. "Aha!" he announced, tugging Rose back to his side. "See that building over there? With the spire?"

She followed his gaze and then nodded her agreement. "Oh yeah! We definitely passed that."

"Thought so. Excellent, right – come on, let's make a run for it and see how wet we end up by the time we get back."

Rose glanced down at herself and laughed. "Well, my top's already soaked through, so we might just as well take a leisurely walk back..." she trailed off, looking back at him. And noticing just whereabouts his eyes were decidedly looking on _her._ She suppressed a satisfied grin.

"Mmm," he murmured distractedly, pondering her choice of clothing that day. A nice top, very white, with a bit of a pattern along the hem. Nice bra, too, by the looks of things.

He thanked her silently for picking something that turned near see-through with added H2O.

"Doctor?" she said, amusement heavily clouding her tone.

At the sound of her voice, he met her eyes and cleared his throat awkwardly. "Yes?" he croaked out.

"Shall we?" she asked innocently.

"Shall we what?" he replied, tone high-pitched, mind whirring. Could she read his mind? He hoped not, or else she might just be a little bit angry at him imagining such thoughts. Alternatively, though, she might be happy with him thinking such thoughts, so if she's offering, weeellll...

"Shall we go? Back to the TARDIS? Try and warm up?" she clarified slowly.

He gulped. "Yes. Back to TARDIS, uh, warm up. Excellent plan." He started to walk briskly, hands in pockets, in the wrong direction. "Come on; don't dawdle!" he called back to her.

Rose grinned to herself. "You're going the wrong way," she pointed out.

"No I'm not," he insisted. Then he stopped, realising where he was walking. "I'm going the wrong way," he admitted, spinning around and walking in the right direction, with Rose already taking the lead.

She was even more distracting from behind, however, and he had to force himself to look ahead rather than at her bare legs and – well, other things. Let's just say that that wet denim skirt clung in all the right places.

Rose glanced back at him coquettishly over her shoulder. "You alright?"

"I'm fine!" he squeaked, speeding up his pace so that he fell in step with her again. He held out his elbow so that she could link her arm through his, and they continued their journey in a tingling but comfortable silence.

-x-

The Doctor was so immersed in his thoughts that it was Rose who took the liberty of unlocking the TARDIS doors, looking at him bemusedly from the entrance when he remained standing outside, staring thoughtfully up at the heavily clouded sky, fists balled tight in his pockets, hair flattening adorably across his forehead.

"Doctor?" she called gently.

His gaze whipped back to her, and he almost found words to answer her. Almost.

But she was such a vision to remember forever, standing there in the doorway to his home, _their_ home, soaking wet and gorgeous and smiling at him widely. Consequently, he sighed in a contented fashion, and was quite thoroughly and speechlessly happy. Him and Rose, in the TARDIS, together. How utterly perfect his life was right now.

Even as her cheeks flushed pink, her smile grew even wider, watching him watch her with an adoring look in his eyes. "What?" she asked shyly, wondering how often he looked at her like that without her noticing.

"Nothing, just..." he managed to say, before trailing off, shaking his head. He stepped up to her, into the TARDIS, holding the doors open when she let go of them. Rose took a reflexive step backwards to make room for him.

She didn't move any further away though, because his eyes had pinned her to the spot. He wouldn't be able to get past her; but then, he didn't look like he particularly wanted to.

"Do you, uh..." she began, trying not to noticeably breathe too quickly. It wasn't working; his eyes were instantly drawn to her heaving chest, the dripping white fabric of her now-translucent t-shirt demonstrating its exceedingly valuable qualities that the Doctor so appreciated.

"Do I what?" he replied, voice low. He let his hands slip from the doors and they fell abruptly shut behind him, closing them off from the outside world and all its rain and clouds and prying eyes.

"Do you want a cup of tea?" she blurted out, belatedly realising she sounded ridiculous but decidedly not caring because he was smiling at her like she'd said the best thing ever, so who was she to judge herself?

"I think tea would be good, yeah," he agreed, seeing her shiver. "It'll warm you up, at any rate."

"And you," she pointed out, eying his sodden jacket and shirt. Not letting herself look lower, for fear she would spontaneously combust - despite the cool temperature.

"Nah, I don't feel the cold," he dismissed, still staring into her eyes intently. His hands clutched uselessly at nothing at his sides and he ached to wrap his arms around her and pull her close.

"Rubbish," Rose countered, feeling braver than him, reaching out a hand to touch his chest, running her finger down the line of his shirt buttons and watching with a grin as he shuddered. "See? You're shivering too."

"Not from the cold," he murmured, raising an eyebrow. "But then, you know that."

Her eyes widened innocently. "I don't know anything, Doctor."

"Course you don't," he agreed sarcastically. "You're just standing in my way wearing that and smiling and teasing for the good of your health."

"Yep," she grinned. Swallowing her trepidation, she stepped forward, closing the distance between them.

He stared down at her, half-pleased, half-petrified that she was taking the initiative. "Rose..." he murmured. He tried to make it sound like a warning, but even to his own ears it sounded more like a plea. He winced, embarrassed.

"It was nice to feel the rain again, don't you think?" she said conversationally, slipping her left hand into his right, continuing delightedly when she felt his thumb begin to stroke the back of hers; a gesture both familiar and electric, "After spending all that time in Rome. Where it was hot. Very, very...hot."

He gulped. "Ye – yeah," he stuttered, wondering where this little tête-à-tête was going.

"It was nice to get back into normal clothes, too," she said next, biting her bottom lip wistfully. "Although, I do kind of miss the toga, Doctor."

"Yours or mine?" he replied, tilting his head down slightly.

"Both," she answered with a teasing smile. "And that Minerva costume."

He coughed suddenly to hide the unmanly squeak of surprise that had emerged from his throat. "Right," he breathed out roughly.

"Kept it all, though," she continued. "Safely in the wardrobe, in case we ever need to, um...play dress up again."

"Right," he repeated. He wondered if she could feel his hearts beating so fast. She was leaning so close into him that he thought perhaps she could.

"You kissed me," Rose murmured then, squeezing his hand.

The Doctor tensed up. "What?"

"It was only yesterday; don't you remember?" she asked. She sounded hurt.

He squeezed her hand back. "Of course I do."

She squinted up at him, pondering how to phrase her next question. She supposed that she might as well keep it simple but blunt. "Why?"

His eyebrows rose to his hairline. "Weeellll..." he drawled. He inhaled deeply, before letting out a breath with a whoosh. "Um..."

"Relief? Joy?" she suggested quietly.

"Yes," he agreed. "Yes, both of those things."

"Right," she nodded.

The Doctor lifted his free hand to tentatively rest at the curve of her waist, and hers instantly came up to lie at the crook of his arm, holding him there. At the immediate and unconscious intimacy of her touch, he struggled to prevent himself adding something else, confessing quietly, "I often want to kiss you."

Rose pressed her lips together to stop herself squealing in delight. "Oh?" she croaked out eventually, aiming to sound nonchalant about it.

"Well, I often feel relieved and joyous, after all."

"Yeah," she assented. "Yeah, you do."

"And I also often feel, uh," he continued, marvelling at the way he appeared to admitting things he'd sworn to himself he'd never admit; but deciding that now was as good a time as never, he continued, "That, well, that you – I – you _and _I, ought to..."

"Ought to what?" she persisted eagerly.

"Just...we ought to. Kiss, that is. We ought to kiss," he explained, the tips of his ears pink. "More, really. We ought to kiss more."

"Yeah?" she asked hopefully.

"Yeah," he breathed, laughing shakily, nervously. "Yeah. Needless to say: you, weeellll, _you're_...you're my favourite thing, lucky mascot and all that and – and, well, you are so very, very tempting, and we've kissed before, not frequently but, you know, what's so wrong about it, really, we're best friends; best friends kiss, occasionally, and that's – we're not, it's not, it, I – you – we, we, well, we're us, and, uh, it was sort of instinctual, I suppose; the first thing I would ever want to do after being stuck as a statue for awhile would be kiss you, weeelll, it's the first thing I'm pretty sure I'd like to do after, well, after anything, really, and I - " he said quickly, rushing through the words at such a speed with the hope that she didn't pick up on all that he'd said.

She did hear everything, though. She had long ago learned how to decipher fast-paced Doctor-talk, so she didn't miss anything. And it made her heart stutter in her chest.

" - Doctor," she whispered, interrupting him. He stopped speaking, and just looked at her, waiting patiently for her to speak again. But she shivered violently before she could, and she rolled her eyes at herself for ruining the moment.

His eyes widened in alarm, and he let go of her hand to rub her arms quickly. "You're freezing! Come on, let's get something nice and hot inside you fast," he said, ushering her towards the kitchen.

Rose would have laughed her head off at that, but her teeth had started chattering, so she contented herself with a little giggle. The Doctor, immediately in Concerned for Rose mode, barely noticed her amusement at his turn of phrase.

Once inside the kitchen, he rushed to the kettle, preparing their tea whilst telling Rose to sit down at the table.

"Surely it would be better if I just..." she mumbled to herself, pulling off her t-shirt.

The Doctor went absolutely still as he heard the sound of wet fabric hit the kitchen sink. "Rose?" he squeaked indignantly.

"What?" she replied defensively. "Keeping it on is what's making me cold."

"Maybe you should..." he started, clearing his throat to continue, "Have a shower. A nice...hot...shower. I'll, um, make the tea, and meet you in your room, yeah?"

"Okay," she said slowly. "Um, Doctor?"

"Yes?" He told himself firmly that he was not to turn around. Absolutely not.

"Look at me a sec," she requested politely.

"You know, I think I'll just stay facing this way," he replied, as nicely as he could.

He heard the smile in her voice as she next spoke. "Not like you weren't looking at my bra beforehand," she pointed out.

"Not the point," he insisted, his fingers clutching the edge of kitchen counter tightly.

He let out a sigh of relief when he heard her leave. And Rose grinned to herself all the way to her bathroom.

-x-

Barely five minutes later, Rose emerged from her quick shower, entering her bedroom with a towel wrapped tight around her, long enough to graze her knees as she walked.

"Alright?" the Doctor asked quietly, sitting with his back against the headboard of her bed, watching her get some clean, dry clothes out of her chest of drawers. And trying not to leap _off _the bed and unravel all his careful self-control by taking off her towel for her. Just to, you know. Help.

"Mmhmm," she answered distractedly. "You?"

"Yep," he replied, popping the 'p' cheerfully. He sipped at his tea, and when she turned to face him, he nodded towards her mug on the bedside table.

Rose smiled gratefully. "Thanks." She left her clothes at the end of the bed and instead went for her tea, climbing onto the space beside him. "Ahhh," she sighed appreciatively, taking her first sip.

His eyes studiously remained connected to hers, and her eyebrow quirked upwards. "So," he began, grappling for something to say so that she wouldn't start teasing him for absolutely not staring at the rivulet of water droplets cascading down the column of her throat, caressing her collar bone, travelling beneath the gap her cleavage created in the towel that hugged her body so tightly.

He realised then that his gaze had slipped somewhat, and when he met her eyes again, she was beaming broadly, her eyes alight with mischief.

"Doctor..." she said ponderingly. "I was wondering yesterday just how you managed to create such a perfect sculpture of me, down to every last detail."

"Yes...?" he prompted for her to carry on.

"Now I think I've realised."

"Realised what?" he asked blankly.

"I've realised that you stare at me quite a lot," she murmured, brows drawing together as she riveted her gaze on the mug in her hands. "I never noticed before. I never thought..."

"Never thought what?" he rasped out, his throat suddenly dry.

"I never thought you stared at me. I never thought you even looked at me that much. Not...like that..." She blushed deeply and bit her lip, embarrassed. "I mean, I know it's just your...er, Time Lord superior senses or whatever - "

"It really isn't," he disagreed softly. Her eyes snapped back to his, imploring him to continue. "I..." he floundered, tugging his ear awkwardly, wondering how to best put it. "I don't just notice these things about you because I'm a Time Lord. Quite the opposite, really. Thing is, the er, truth, of the matter, is that, I _don't_ look - "

She momentarily seemed heartbroken, a lump coming to her throat.

" – at anyone _but_ you..." he continued gently.

Her eyes lit up. Unconsciously, she put her mug down on her bedside cabinet.

"...because you, you're...I just..."

She inched closer to him, her smile encouraging him to continue.

"I think you're beautiful," he whispered.

She took his hand, staring at it as she entwined their fingers together. "I..."

He too stared down at their joined hands, now resting on her thigh. He could feel the heat of her skin through the fabric and it taunted him evilly.

"Rose?" he urged hesitantly.

"I love you, Doctor," she murmured back, almost-silently.

His hearts pounded fiercely against his chest at her admission, but his reply caught in his throat when she lifted her head and kissed him.

He slipped his hands into her hair and held her to him, kissing her back with just as much undeniable reverence and bubbling passion as she was him. Neither really noticed what they were doing as she shifted to lay flat, her back dipping firmly into the mattress as the Doctor moved with her, his body hovering over hers while their lips refused to part from each other's.

Eventually, the kissed eased off, and Rose gasped breathlessly against his neck as he pressed soft kisses along her jaw. She realised where his hands had moved to, clutching as they were at towelling fabric gathered at her hips, and blushed brightly. She then realised something else.

"Doctor, you've not changed your suit," she murmured hoarsely.

He leaned his head back to regard her curiously. "So? It's practically dry," he shrugged. "Nifty material, this. Quite absorbent. Which is lucky, really, because - "

" - Doctor," she interjected softly. "I was trying to suggest that you've not showered yet..."

"Well, I was making tea for us. No time to fit a shower in, and...why? Hang on, are you saying I need one?" he asked, wrinkling his nose up.

"No!" she laughed. "Well, sort of. It doesn't matter."

"Course it does; go on," he urged her.

"I rushed mine, just now. I thought maybe I'd take another," Rose said slowly, wondering whether he'd pick up on that implication.

"Whatever for?" he asked, baffled. He nuzzled her hair briefly, then her neck. "You smell lovely. What is that, peppermint? _And..._raspberries? And ooh...something else - " He paused, licking her neck experimentally, making her shiver again. " – grapefruit! Odd combination, but really, that's gorgeous, that is, can I - "

" – Doctor!" she exclaimed, impatiently resting her forehead against his. "Right," she sighed heavily. "Would you do me a favour?"

"Of course," he said instantly. "What is it?"

"Will you have a shower with me?" she asked bluntly.

"Yes," he answered, just as bluntly. Then, he added, "Weeelll, no."

"What? Why not?" she asked, confused at his abrupt change of mind.

"I'd prefer a bath," he admitted ponderingly.

She giggled in surprise. "Really?"

"Yes," he replied, a little defensive. "What's wrong with that? Baths are nice."

"Not very manly, though."

"I resent that remark entirely."

"Do you use bubble bath?"

He averted his eyes. "Sometimes."

"Do you have a toy duck?"

He sighed. "Maybe."

"Ha!" Rose grinned, kissing him firmly. The Doctor started to smile. "Does this duck have a name?"

Now he positively beamed. "Trevor!" he replied enthusiastically.

She stared at him.

"What?" he asked.

"_Trevor?" _she repeated, looping her arms around the neck of her daft alien.

"Yes. What's wrong with Trevor?"

"Nothing!" she replied hastily. "Just...not very...duck...ish."

"It's original. Hans Christian Anderson's Ugly Duckling would have been infinitely better had the duckling in question been called Trevor."

"Why add that to his list of woes?" Rose asked, biting her lip to hold in her laughter.

"Oi!" He threw her a withering look. "Trevor's a nice name."

"But the ugly duckling was actually a swan. And Trevor is an even sillier name for a swan," she pointed out ruefully.

"If you're not careful, Rose Tyler, I shall not share a bath with you. Or Trevor, for that matter."

Rose smiled at him apologetically. "I'm sorry, Doctor. I won't tease you anymore, I promise."

"Pffft, as if," he scoffed, but he grinned. Rose took that to mean he quite expected and enjoyed her teasing him.

She grinned back at him, tracing her fingertips across the back of his neck. "So...this bath you speak of...how big is it?"

"Oh, it's _really _big," he smirked, squeezing her hips lightly.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. You'll be very impressed."

"I bet I will," she agreed.

He kissed her then, slowly and full of promise. "Want to come and see it?" he murmured against her lips.

"I think I do," she smiled.

The Doctor shifted off of her, straightening his shirt ineffectually as he stood. He held out his hand to help her up. Once she was upright, he offered her a nervous but happy smile, and began to lead her out of her bedroom. He paused at her doorway when he distinctly heard the thud of a towel hitting the floor.

She anticipated his reaction and spoke before he could. "Not like I'm gonna need it. Besides, it'd only get in the way," she grinned, tongue between teeth.

How the Doctor made it to his bathroom without once succumbing to the urge to turn around and face a Naked Rose Tyler he'll never know. Luckily, Rose was as astounded at his willpower as he was, and accordingly rewarded him for it.

He later revised his list of favourite things. Rose Tyler remained at the top, of course, but silly things like 'saving the universe with Rose' got relegated in favour of far more important things involving her.

He suspected that the list would acquire many additions over the next few days.


	21. Just Checking

_**Just Checking**_

"Erm, Rose?" he frowned, spinning around to face her with a piece of paper held in a raised hand. "What's this list of men doing tacked to my console screen?"

She lifted her head from her makeshift pillow, namely, the Doctor's jacket, lying sprawled as she was across the jumpseat. Glancing briefly at his discovery, she snuggled back down and mumbled tiredly, "Oh, that's just the list of historical figures I'd like us to meet."

The Doctor raised his eyebrows and asked cheekily, "Wow, making lists; is that us now?" throwing her a wink.

She giggled. "Thought you always made lists," she pointed out, gesturing to the post-it notes stuck on the console.

He followed her gaze and blushed a delightful shade of pink. "Oh, no, no, they're not...er...lists."

Rose sat up straight, no longer tired, as she watched him shift awkwardly, as if he was embarrassed. "What are they, then? Gallifreyan love poems?" she scoffed.

His eyes widened and he stumbled backwards, hitting his bum on the edge of the console. "No!" he exclaimed, far too quickly, tugging at his ear. She wasn't exactly correct, but she was closer to the truth than what he was going to pretend the writing meant.

She couldn't help the grin that spread wide across her face. "Oh my god, they are, aren't they?" she laughed. "I _knew _you were secretly a troubled romantic!"

"I most certainly am not!" he denied vehemently, not-so-subtly reaching behind himself to screw up said post-it notes before the TARDIS could suddenly switch sides and translate Gallifreyan for Rose's benefit. Not that the TARDIS ever seemed to be on his side of late, anyway. He was rather put out, actually, that Rose seemed to be in acquired favour ever since she stepped aboard. He harrumphed to himself at this thought, but then turned his attention back to the issue at hand, i.e. a nice bit of improvisation: "They're calculations, Rose Tyler. Mathematical, chemical," he rallied off, counting on his fingers. "Physical, biological – oh, er, no, not that one," he amended hastily. "Maths, chemistry and physics and a bunch of other subjects that aren't relevant to human women...they're just equations. You wouldn't understand. Very complicated. To do with, er, timey...wimey...stuff," he finished lamely.

Rose had stood and started stalking towards him with every rubbish piece of lexis that had fallen from his lips. "Really?" she asked disbelievingly.

"Yes, really," he agreed firmly, nodding as if it would affirm his conviction.

To his surprise, Rose simply shrugged in acceptance. Then he realised that she would probably conspire with the TARDIS later and find out anyway. Damn; he had to be more careful about what he wrote down from now on. Maybe he should buy a secret journal! Oh blimey, he thought, once he'd thought his previous thought; is that what kind of man I am? The kind who writes in a _diary? _No, no. No, that's not...I'm manly. I'm a manly man. He nodded firmly to himself and decided that he'd just have to figure out a way to stop his girls ganging up on him...

She yawned widely then, and backtracked her way to the jumpseat, this time sitting upright and propping up her legs on the console beside him. He grinned suddenly, wickedly, and tickled her feet, and she whipped her legs away with a yelp. "Evil Time Lord," she glared at him playfully, before yawning again and shifting sideways until she was lying horizontally again, staring up at him. He smiled at her warmly for a moment, then realised he still had the piece of paper that had started all this in his hand. He read it over again, and made a noise in the back of his throat. Rose interpreted it as a grunt of either: arrogance, dismissal, or displeasure.

"What is it?" she asked. "Some of 'em aliens?"

He took off his glasses and rubbed at his eyes wearily. "No, no. Well, yes, some; but mostly the harmless kind, that's all."

"Then what's wrong?"

He sighed, and looked back at her with a pointed look. "Weeelll, I cannot help but notice that all the 'historical figures' on this list are of the male variety."

"I can't help it if my species held the view that men were superior for about a billion years," she retorted with a huff.

"Rose," he said emphatically. "You can't exactly act all feminist when you've put this bloody fellow on your list!" He moved closer and thrust the paper in front of her nose, pointing at number fourteen.

Rose giggled to herself. "Oh yeah. Weeelll," she drawled, imitating him. "Thought it could be fun."

"Yes, I'm sure it would be, for you," he grumbled, lifting her legs so he could sit down next to her, before settling them in his lap. "But Casanova, Rose? _Really? _Bit of an insult!"

"How is it?" she replied, folding her arms across her chest defiantly.

From the position the Doctor was sitting in, her motion did very pleasant things for his vision. He blinked silently for a moment, surreptitiously eying her cleavage, then remembered he ought to answer her. "Well, I could take us anywhere in the universe, and you've got a list of some poxy human blokes you want to visit? And one of them is the renowned Italian lover, Giac Casanova?" He stared solemnly at the paper in a righteous sulk. "And, wait a minute," he continued, putting his glasses back on. "Johnny bloody _Depp?_ Historical figure? Are you _serious?"_

"Well, you know, Captain Jack Sparrow and all that. Always had a thing for blokes called Jack," she teased.

He looked at her with big puppy-dog eyes and slightly downturned lips. As if she was slowly breaking his hearts.

Rose smothered a laugh, and took the list out of his hands, before tearing it in two. He looked back at her in shock.

"What'd you do that, for?" he asked her, confused and delighted all at once.

She screwed up the torn paper and threw it at the Doctor's forehead with a smug smile creeping upon her face. "I was only checking, Doctor."

"Checking what?" he replied petulantly.

"That you knew," she shrugged casually, before letting her eyes drift shut.

"Knew what?" he asked her. When she didn't reply, he shook her legs a bit. "Rose? Knew what?"

He huffed when she remained silent, and leaned over her, blowing in her ear. She jumped in surprise, giggled, and watched him with mischievous eyes. He didn't move away, and he watched her right back from his face's position four inches above hers. "Knew what?" he repeated quietly.

"That I belong to you," she finished softly.

His left heart _actually _skipped a beat. Rassilon, this woman was turning him into a walking cliché. "You do?" he whispered, his eyes wide in awe.

"Yeah," she replied. "It's why you get so jealous."

"I don't - " he cut himself off when she raised a disbelieving eyebrow. "Weeelll. Okay, maybe I do," he relented. "Didn't know it was because you belong to me, though."

"No?"

He wasn't sure why, but now felt like the perfect, most natural time to tell her the secret he had kept from her for _oh_...so very long.

"No," he answered, his voice lowering, "Thought it was just because I'm in love with you."

Rose's smile lit up her face. "You do realise what's gonna happen now, yeah?" she whispered cheekily.

His throat was dry as he murmured hoarsely, "What's that?"

Instead of replying, Rose tilted her head up slightly to brush her lips against his. Before she could pull away, he was kissing her back, opening his mouth above hers, his hands flying to her hair to guide their movements. Together, they sat up straight, allowing Rose to shift onto his lap, one of his hands slipping to the back of her thigh to slide her leg around his hip until she was astride him on the jumpseat, kissing him just as relentlessly as he was her.

"Rose," he whispered against her lips.

She was breathless as she replied, "Yeah?"

"You don't _actually _fancy Johnny Depp, do you?"

Rose just giggled and kissed him again.


	22. Like Nothing in the World, and

_**Like Nothing in the World, and Everything**_

Rose ran her hand across the TARDIS coral affectionately. "He's never going to realise, is he?"

She felt like the TARDIS comforted her mind. Sort of saying, _you never know...maybe one day..._

"And even if he did..." she sighed. "What's that saying? Oh yeah, 'A bird may love a fish, but where would they live?'"

"You're nothing like a fish, Rose Tyler," the Doctor told her quietly from the doorway.

Rose jumped in surprise and blushed deeply as she wondered how much of her mumbled ponderings he'd heard. "Hi," she murmured.

He stepped into the library, a small smile on his face, and sat down beside her on the sofa. "Rose."

Embarrassed, she refused to glance at him, keeping her eyes trained on the rug she was toeing absently with her foot. "Yeah?"

"Rose, look at me," he requested softly.

"What's up?" she asked. But she still couldn't meet his eye.

He sighed and decided to _make _her look at him, if she wasn't going to do it voluntarily. Playfully so that she wouldn't protest much, he grabbed hold of her legs and used the leverage to swing her around so that she lay horizontal on the sofa, facing him. She giggled a bit in surprise but let him rest her legs in his lap all the same. She was used to him invading her personal space, after all. Even if it didn't mean anything to him, she wouldn't have had it any other way.

"Thank you," he grinned, squeezing her knee. Abruptly, his expression changed and he looked nervous. "Right, now...this is quite the spontaneous occasion. You'd better listen to this, Rose Tyler. 'Cos I don't ever say things like this. Not ever. But I'm going to make an exception, just this once, seeing as it's you."

"Oh yeah?" she smiled, folding her arms. "And why's that?"

"Because you're my favourite," he answered, rolling his eyes like it was obvious. He pretended not to notice how she flushed pink again at his words, and continued, "Anyway! Fact is, I have a confession to make."

She really wished it wouldn't, because it would make things very obvious, but her breathing started to speed up in anticipation. "Yeah?"

"Yep." He tugged at his ear nervously. "Right. Here goes." He let out a long breath and blurted out, "I have a feeling things are about to get a bit domestic on the TARDIS."

Rose raised an eyebrow, confused. "What? Why?"

"Because this is where we live," he replied.

"Yeah...and?"

"And I want to spend a very ample proportion of my time kissing you, from now on." He held his breath, wondering what she'd say to _that _revelation.

Her eyes widened and her mouth fell open and the answer to his wonderings was _nothing._

"Um, Rose?" he prompted, after she'd stared at him unblinkingly for about a minute without saying anything.

"Yeah, I..." Her voice was husky. She cleared her throat, and started again, "Sorry, but what?"

"What what?" he asked.

"What did you mean...when you said that?"

He squinted at her, baffled. "I thought it was pretty self-explanatory. But if you want me to elaborate..." He bit his lip, anxious about her reaction. She nodded, requesting him to continue. So he did. "Right. Weelll. You see, I've noticed, uh...this, now how shall I put it, um...okay, well, it's this..._feeling, _and, erm...well, I've had this feeling for...awhile..." He tilted his head to the side thoughtfully and amended his phrasing hurriedly, "Well, okay...more than 'awhile,' more sort of like...sincethedayImetyou...and along with this, er, _feeling, _have come other..._feelings..._all of which are quite, uh..." He swallowed thickly and gave her a helpless look.

"What, Doctor?" she asked breathlessly.

He sighed in frustration at his own inability to structure coherent sentences amidst his rambling. "Don't you ever feel like...like...like..."

"Like...?" she urged.

"Like you're floating? Like...like you can't breathe? Like you're inhaling this, this heady sort of perfume and...and like you're dancing in the air, and you're swimming through a waterfall, and your vision's all blurry, and all you can smell are flowers and...and you just want to sing at the top of your voice in the middle of nowhere – or no, maybe...maybe in front of everyone...in some busy London street or, or at the centre of the universe and just...tell the _entire population _that you're in - "

Rose, hanging on his every word, blinked purposefully as he cut himself off.

He swallowed, and started back up again under her expectant, intent gaze, "Um, that you're...alive. Yes, that's right...you're so, so alive, because there's this person, right, that can make your hearts sort of _jump, _just by taking your hand, and there's this smile they've got that both makes you strong and makes you weak, and...it's like nothing in the world, weeeellll, and everything, and..." He trailed off, seeing her watery eyes, and looked down to where he was fiddling with the hem of her denim skirt to continue, "And...and, really, Rose...what I'm...what I'm trying to say is that, maybe I don't understand them properly – because, well, I've never felt them before – but...but these feelings I've got, see...they're..."

"Doctor," she interrupted softly.

He met her eyes again. "Yeah?" he replied, his hearts about to explode out of his chest, they were beating so hard. She just smiled at him, and he relaxed a little bit with the knowledge that she wasn't about to shout at him. "Rose, I can't just be feeling these things on my own, can I?" he murmured tentatively.

She dodged the question, not on purpose, but because something suddenly sprang to mind as she realised he _hadn't _realised that she returned his feelings. "How much did you hear me say, earlier?"

He frowned, thrown for a moment. "You mean, when you were talking to the TARDIS?"

"Yeah," she replied shakily.

"Just some nonsense about a bird and a fish not being able to live together. And so you see, what I'm trying to say, Rose, is that...is that, I know I'm not human, but..." He paused, and looked deep into her eyes. "But I care about you just as much as any human could. And I've realised that your – quite frankly_, ridiculously_ _short _– lifespan can't stop me from telling you that, now. Because I just, I can't...I can't pretend anymore."

"So...you, um," she began, blushing again but trying to make her teasing smile and the cheeky glint in her eye counteract her nerves with something like mischief, "You want to kiss me, eh?"

"Yeah," he exhaled roughly. "Every inch of you." Her eyes widened and the tips of his ears turned pink when he realised he'd said that last bit out loud. He coughed awkwardly. "I mean. That is..." He sighed and finished with a hopeful, "If you want?"

"I think I want that more than I've wanted anything, ever," she confessed, and he smiled at her in relief. "What you were saying earlier, Doctor..."

"Yeah?"

"It was...beautiful, really," she told him earnestly. "Quite romantic." He looked ready to protest at that but she put her finger at his lips to silence him. "Shut it, you. I won't tell anyone that you're really just a big softie, don't worry."

He smiled again, and moved her hand from his face to entwine their fingers. "So...what I said...all that, um...stuff that I tried to explain and ended up – _unintentionally, _of course – being romantic about...do you, um, do you feel that?"

"What, like I'm floating and dancing and want to sing about being alive?" she teased, her tongue at the corner of her mouth.

He mock-glared at her and defended, "Do _you _have any idea how else to describe it?" Then he leant forward slightly, persevering for an answer to his previous question. "So, do you feel it too or what?"

She leant forward as well, and whispered, "Of course I do, you daft alien."

His beam could split his face, Rose reckoned. "Really?"

Rose nodded in affirmation.

"Thank goodness for that! I was terrified it was all some unrequited thing and you'd leave..."

"I'm never going to leave you," she assured him, leaning into him even closer.

"Well, good, because I'm never going to let you," he grinned, tilting his head. "Rose..."

"Yeah?" she replied, their lips almost touching.

His wide grin softened into the gentle smile he offered her every time she stepped into a room. Every time he looked at her. Every time he felt something tug at his hearts to hold onto her and never let her go. "I love you," he murmured, stroking her knee with his thumb. And then he kissed her.


	23. Such a Flirt

_**Such a Flirt**_

**-x-**

"I really didn't expect that to happen," the Doctor pondered thoughtfully. He pouted when Rose started cackling beside him on the grass in great amusement.

He was referring to his nefarious adventure of yesterday, within which he'd had the untimely misfortune of being accused of shoplifting.

"Really," he continued. "I was just testing the banana out. Making sure it was edible. You can never be too careful about these things, Rose Tyler."

"Yeah, well," Rose replied breezily. "The manager let you off, didn't she?"

"Because she finally _realised _how preposterous the notion of _me, _the last of the Time Lords, Oncoming Storm, Destroyer of Worlds, needing to steal fruit from Tesco is!"

"Nah, it's just that she fancied you."

The Doctor gave her a blank look. "No she didn't."

"She really did," Rose assured him.

"Oh." He grinned cockily and straightened his tie. "Well, why wouldn't she?" he sniffed.

"Surprised she didn't want to be your girlfriend, actually. I asked her if she wanted your number, but she politely declined," Rose giggled. "Maybe you should have flirted with her more."

"Yes, well. In case you haven't noticed, I don't really do things like that."

Rose snorted. "Coulda fooled me!"

His eyes widened dramatically. "What?" he exclaimed, turning onto his side. "I don't!"

"Sure you don't," she replied sarcastically, tilting her head to look at him sceptically.

"I _don't!" _he squeaked out indignantly.

"Doctor, you're the second biggest flirt I know. Jack holding the title, of course."

"I am not, in any way, on _any_ list, in the _entire universe, _second place to Jack Harkness, thank you very much. Least of all in this. How are we even vaguely comparable? It's ridiculous."

"Well, I'm just going by the evidence I've seen before my very eyes."

"What on Earth are you referring to?"

"Not just on Earth, Doctor," Rose smirked.

He waved away her point dismissively, urging her to tell him what she meant.

She folded her arms beneath her head and stared up at the sky for a few moments, pondering how to phrase it.

"Rose?" he prompted, after ten point seven seconds of no answer from her. "Listen, you better tell me what I do, so that I can stop, before I give other people the wrong idea."

She matched his position, turning on her side to face him. "You can't seriously be saying you don't know you're doing it!" she laughed.

He swallowed thickly. "Weeelll. Sometimes I do it on purpose, I think."

"Ha! See!" she exclaimed triumphantly raising her arm.

"But only with you," he continued quietly.

Her fist pump faltered and she dropped her arm to her side quickly. "What did you just say?"

"What?" he flinched awkwardly.

She stared at him. "You mean, it means something?"

The Doctor grew very nervous, his breathing stuttering for a moment. "Um..." He exhaled roughly. "Between us? Me and you? Yes, I thought so," he admitted.

Rose thought that over for a minute. He watched for her reaction carefully, but couldn't tell what she was thinking.

"Rose," he said suddenly, breaking the silence. "If I have unwittingly been flirting with other people – and I still don't believe I do; really, I'm just being _friendly_, for goodness' sake; hardly my fault over three quarters of the universe only thinks about, er, _that, _side of things – then why didn't you tell me off sooner?"

She frowned in confusion. "Tell you...off?"

He nodded.

"Why would I tell you off for it?" she asked hesitantly.

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Because you - " he began, then stopped abruptly, his throat suddenly dry.

"Because I what?" she prompted, baffled.

He shifted a bit closer to her and peered into her eyes curiously.

"What are you doing?" she asked him, her heart picking up its pace.

"Nothing, nothing," he said, sounding disappointed. He flipped onto his back and resolutely began watching the clouds migrate above them.

Rose sat up, crossed her legs, and stared down at him patiently.

His gaze eventually, reluctantly, swept back to her, and she arched an eyebrow, waiting.

"I thought..." he started, and then trailed off, sniffing haughtily. "But it doesn't matter."

"I really don't have a clue what you're babbling on about, Doctor. Can you please just spit it out?"

He sighed, and focussed his eyes on the sky again, embarrassed. "I thought perhaps, there have been, er, incidences, in the past, where you've...been...weeellll, jealous, and so if I've been unknowingly doing that flirting thing, I'm confused as to why you don't seem to care."

Rose burst out laughing, which was in no way the response he was hoping for.

"What?" he demanded, annoyed. He turned over on his other side so that his back was to her. "Can't help it if I've..." The rest of his sentence was hidden in a mutter under his breath, so Rose didn't catch what he'd said.

She made an apologetic sound and tugged on his arm, before taking his hand between hers and squeezing gently. "Sorry, Doctor, what did you said just then? You can't help it if you've...?"

"Nothing," he replied sulkily. But he didn't snatch his hand away, which Rose took as a good sign.

"Doctor," she said softly.

"Hmph."

"Doctor, look at me," she tried again.

"Nope."

"But you're right, you know," she admitted. "In some ways, at least. I have been jealous in the past."

He lifted his head slightly, wanting to hear more. There was a 'but...' coming; he could tell. He hoped it was a good 'but...'

"But you're wrong if you think I don't care anymore. Of course I care. But what can I do? I can't exactly complain about it."

"Why not?" he asked simply, finally turning back around to face her.

She saw the sincerity and confusion in his eyes and was puzzled by it. "Be-because..." her voice faltered.

"Because what?"

"Because we're not...you know..."

"Aren't we?" he murmured.

Her heart rate sped up even more after hearing those two simple words and she didn't know what to say.

The Doctor closed his eyes, swallowing nervously. Then he dropped the bombshell. "It's only ever been you. It's only ever_ going_ to be you, Rose Tyler."

At her sharp intake of breath, he opened one eye.

"You okay with that?" he murmured hesitantly.

"I...I..." she stammered, still dazed. "Well, yes. Obviously. But I – we – you haven't..."

"What?"

"You know...made a move..."

"I didn't realise we had somewhere to be," he retorted. "Where's the rush?" He coughed awkwardly. "Besides, it takes a while to get up that sort of confidence."

She snorted. "Confidence? You're way above confident already, Doctor!" she laughed.

He wanted to glare at her, but he ended up just gazing, really. "Not about this sort of thing," he corrected gently.

"Well, that maybe so, but you've had two years! I was starting to lose hope of anything ever happening between us," Rose admitted.

"Well, now we've clarified our mutual intentions, I'm pretty sure we can do something about them..." he mumbled.

"Yeah?" she asked hopefully, trying not to sound too eager.

He smiled. "Yeah."

"When?" She started to lean closer to him.

The Doctor tilted his head up and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. "Whenever you - " he began when he pulled back, but he couldn't seem to finish, because Rose had seized him by the lapels to meet his mouth with hers again. She rolled onto him, and their kiss muffled his groan. Which was just as well, she supposed, because she wasn't sure whether it was a groan of pleasure or from the pain of having her weight crushing down on him. He didn't push her off, though – in fact, his hands slid in opposite directions, one to fasten into her hair, the other gripping her hip, in order to keep her in position.

After a minute or two, Rose pulled back slightly to breathe, and he took the opportunity to flip them over. Her back flat against the grass, she gasped against his cheek as he slipped a leg between hers to hover above her whilst trailing a path from her jaw to her ear with kisses.

It didn't happen when they'd engaged in another few bouts of snogging and started inching hands beneath the fabric of shirts to touch fingertips to bare, hidden, until-now-_forbidden _skin. No, it was only when the Doctor lifted Rose's leg up and around his hip that a policeman coughed pointedly and made them jump apart.

The Doctor, now sprawled next to Rose on the grass, stared up at the policeman with wide, guilty eyes. "Right," he exhaled. "There's a very good reason why you don't need to arrest us." He glanced at Rose, hoping she'd help him out.

She took his cue and cleared her throat. "Yeah, there is. I mean...well. It could be worse. We could be naked."

The Doctor bit back a groan.

"Miss, Sir," the policeman nodded curtly towards them. Or rather, down to them. "This here is a public location. Not only that, it's a park. It is three o'clock in the afternoon. Parents do not appreciate seeing an amorous couple shove their tongues down each other's throats and grope each other in front of their kiddies."

He was looking at them so sternly that the Doctor and Rose forgot to feel guilty. They were trying very, very hard not to giggle.

The policeman shot a glare down at the Doctor. "I suggest you take your girlfriend somewhere else."

Rose couldn't contain it, then. She burst into giggles and the Doctor tried in vain to ignore her, replying calmly and seriously to the policeman, "Indeed I will, Sergeant. On a bed, perhaps?"

She howled with laughter then. "I can't believe you just said that!"

The policeman did not crack a smile. "Remove yourselves from this park at once, or I shall have to arrest you for indecent exposure."

"But we didn't expose anything!" the Doctor protested. The policeman raised an eyebrow. "Yet," he added feebly. "Look, I'm truly sorry. Thing is, Rose practically, maybe,_ almost_ just told me she loves me for the first time, and okay, so I admit it – we got a _little _carried away – but can you blame me for forgetting where exactly in space and time I was? I mean, _look _at her!"

The policeman did look at her. He tilted his head, somewhat conceding to the Doctor's point. In fact, his eyes lingered.

The Doctor scowled. "Okay, you can stop looking at her _now, _thank you!"

The policeman held out his hands, so that each of them could pull themselves up. "I don't want to see you partaking in such activities in a public place again, understood?"

They nodded solemnly, linked arms, and made their way slowly back to the TARDIS. As soon as they were out of earshot of the policeman, they started chuckling again.

"I can't believe you," she laughed. "Two years of getting your 'confidence' up, and then you get _completely _carried away within seconds? You should've planned this better, Doctor."

He poked his tongue out at her. "I'm not being funny, but you certainly seemed to lose all sense of where we were, too!"

"Whatever," she dismissed. "I just can't believe how impatient you got. You even said, earlier, 'where's the rush?' Ha!"

The Doctor grinned. "We need to catch up on lost time, maybe," he suggested.

Rose smiled back at him beautifully. "I think we do."

They glimpsed the TARDIS up ahead. Rose bit her lip. The Doctor noticed. He swallowed thickly.

She leant closer, to speak into his ear. "Race you..."

And then she ran. The Doctor stood still, blinking for a second, before realisation hit, "Oh, you cheat!" he exclaimed, bounding after her.

He didn't mind if he didn't win the race, though. He had a feeling he'd still get a nice prize.


	24. Lovers' Tiff

**_Lovers' Tiff?_**

Jackie Tyler was dozing in front of the News when her daughter burst into the flat, slammed the front door behind her, and stormed into the living room. Without so much as a 'hi Mum, sorry I haven't visited for a few weeks,' she launched into a tale concerning the great idiocy of the Doctor, the man-alien who had whirled Rose away on the extended trip of a lifetime a couple of years ago.

"And then, right, he practically tells me to leave!" Rose exclaimed hotly. "I mean, the bloody cheek of him! He can't just chuck me out! I live there, it's my home!"

Jackie tried not to let Rose's words phase her, and calmly replied, "Rose, calm down. What started all this?"

Rose sighed and moved to sit down next to her mum on the sofa. "I dunno really. But he's been acting really weird recently. He's sort of...suddenly acting all distant. Not all the time, just on random occasions. I don't know why. I don't know if I've done something wrong, or... And I mean, we've argued before, but never have I ever felt like he didn't even want me in the same room as him, let alone spaceship..." she trailed off, looking miserably at Jackie. "What am I gonna do?"

"What was the last thing you said to each other?" Jackie asked quietly.

"It's a bit of blur. There was shouting...mostly me shouting, really..." she mumbled, a bit embarrassed. "But basically he told me to get out. So I did." She bit her lip and closed her eyes. "He told me that he wouldn't do this to me. He's left friends behind before. Sometimes for no real reasons. But he promised me that I was different. I thought..."

She opened her eyes again and Jackie's heart ached in sympathy for her daughter when she saw her unshed tears. Wrapping her arms around her, she rocked Rose back and forth as if she were a little girl again, soothing her as she let a few silent tears sneak out.

All of a sudden, Rose pulled back and stared at her mum anxiously. "What if he never comes back?"

"Has he even left?"

She frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Has he left? In the TARDIS? Or is he still parked outside in the - "

Jackie cut herself off as they both heard fierce banging on the front door. Rose's eyes widened, and she immediately jumped up. Jackie initially thought she was heading for the door, but she surprised her; instead, Rose hurried to her old bedroom, firmly closing and locking her door behind her.

Jackie shook her head. "She wants him to come back for her, but she doesn't even want to talk to him," she muttered to herself. "Just like me, she is. Bloody stubborn."

"Rose! Rose? Rose!" came the Doctor's voice through the door. He was still pounding away. Jackie sighed and got up. "Jackie? Jackie! I know you're both in there! Open the door!"

"Alright, alright, I'm coming!" Jackie called, walking to the front door.

As she opened it, the Doctor started to barge past. But Jackie wasn't having any of that.

"Oi, not so fast, you!" she exclaimed, shoving the Doctor back outside. She closed the door as she stepped outside herself.

"I need to see her," he said decidedly.

"Not until I say you can," Jackie countered. Seeing his distress, his frantic eyes, her expression softened a little. "Now, why don't you tell me what's going on?"

"Rose is being stupid," he said bluntly. He shuddered a bit when Jackie fixed him with a cold glare. "I mean, despite her usually very amazing intelligence and beauty, she's currently experiencing a bit of teeny, tiny silly lapse in judgement," he amended hastily.

Jackie arched an eyebrow. "Look, what's this lovers' tiff of yours about, eh? I've got her in there crying and angry and you out here acting all scared and miserable..."

He swallowed thickly, tugging at his ear. "It's silly, she's just...I dunno, misinterpreted something." He paused, thinking over Jackie's words again. "Hang on, we're not, um, that is to say...it's not, a, er, it's not a 'lovers' tiff,' we don't, we aren't, I haven't - "

Jackie's other eyebrow rose too. "You two don't...?" she asked, genuinely surprised.

The Doctor scratched the back of his neck and hesitantly mumbled, "No."

"Well no wonder!" she exclaimed loudly.

He winced, then looked confused. "Hang on, 'no wonder' what?"

"No wonder you have all this tension in the air!" she explained. "Honestly, what are you two like!"

His brows knotted together. "I wouldn't have thought you'd want her to even consider me...like that," he murmured.

"Bit late for that," Jackie scoffed. "Like anything I say ever makes a difference anyway. Nah, truth be told, she could do a lot worse than you."

"Really?" he asked, oddly touched.

"Yeah," Jackie smiled briefly, then looked at him seriously again. "But she doesn't want to speak to you right now, so you've obviously done something to upset her."

"But I haven't!" he told her helplessly. "I didn't mean to, anyway. I never want to upset her, not ever. Rose being happy is my top priority, so you've got to let me see her so that I can sort this out - "

"Your top priority?" Jackie interrupted swiftly. "Really?"

"Of course she is," he answered softly, shrugging to feign nonchalance. He glanced away.

"She thinks you're gonna leave her."

"I haven't," he denied firmly. "And I won't."

"But what if you do? One day? What if one day you just dump her back here?"

"Of course I wouldn't just dump her here!" he insisted. "I'd never..." he swallowed nervously and met Jackie's gaze. "I'm sorry, Jackie, but I'm never going to bring her back here for good."

She bit her lip and nodded, but then asked, "Why not though? You've done it to people before her, she told me that."

He sighed. "Rose is different."

"Why, Doctor? Why is she so different to everyone else?" Jackie demanded.

"Because I'm in love with her!" he exclaimed.

Jackie smiled, as if his answer was what she was waiting for. "Then get in there and tell her that," she told him gently, nodding at the door to the flat.

He stood still for a second, breathless at his own confession. Swallowing thickly, he nodded in agreement. "Right. Yes. Thank you." And then he dashed inside.

Jackie shook her head as she followed him in, fondly watching him rush towards her daughter's bedroom door and knock hesitantly.

"Rose, it's me. Let me in?" he spoke quietly and hopefully. When she didn't reply, he added, "Please?"

There was still no response from Rose, so he gently tried the door handle; it was locked. He reached inside his pocket and was just about to sonic the lock when he heard her voice, firm and well, rather angry, he thought with a wince.

"If you even think about cheating by using the screwdriver, I'll punch you in the face," she told him. After a pause where she obviously thought that over, she added in a mutter, "With my pillow. So that I don't break my hand."

He put his sonic screwdriver back in his pocket and looked down the corridor at Jackie helplessly. His not-quite-mother-in-law sighed in exasperation at his uselessness and walked over. "Rose sweetheart, you have to let him in," she said gently through the door.

"Why should I?" she retorted harshly. "He's being a complete idiot. I have the right to refuse to see him, you know."

"Yeah, I know, Rose, but..." she trailed off for a moment, and met the Doctor's eye. "He has something he needs to tell you."

His eyes widened and he spluttered at her wordlessly before mouthing to her, _what did you go and say that for?_

"Well he can tell me through the door," she responded.

Jackie snapped then, fed up with the pair of them being so stupid. "Rose, stop being so childish and open this door right now!"

The Doctor stepped back in surprise at her outburst, and then began to feel a bit defensive on Rose's behalf. "Hang on, Jackie, you don't need to be like that - " he started.

" - Don't I? Don't _you _think she's being silly, locking herself away like a - " she raised her voice so that Rose would most definitely hear her. " – STUBBORN TEENAGER?"

"She's not a teenager," he replied, folding his arms.

"She's acting like one. She's always been a stroppy little - "

Rose opened the door, glaring at her mother. "Do you mind?"

Jackie grinned triumphantly. "Knew that would work." She looked towards the Doctor, who was staring at Rose in that way he did when he thought no one was looking. "Come on then, you two. Kiss and make up."

Rose rolled her eyes, but would not turn to face the Doctor.

"He was defending you just now, you know. Even though you're being horrible to him," Jackie informed her.

"ME?" Rose demanded. "I'm not being horrible to him! He's the one who told me to get the hell out of his ship!"

"I did _not!" _he countered. He grabbed hold of her arm and swung her around to face him. "_You _said that you didn't know why you bothered hanging around, so I merely pointed out the fact that I wasn't forcing you to stay, not if you didn't want to. I didn't think you'd go storming out!"

She shrugged a shoulder. "Sounded like you didn't want me there."

"I always want you!" he argued. He saw Jackie smirk out of the corner of his eye and hastily rephrased his statement. "_There!_ I always want you there!"

Rose stared at him for a moment, then said, "Then why don't you act like it?"

His eyebrows climbed his forehead. "What? Is it not _obvious?" _

"Not really, no," she scoffed. "I mean, I tried to talk to you earlier and you just ignored me."

He made a frustrated noise at the back of his throat. "I was pretending to ignore you. There's a difference."

"But why were you pretending to ignore me? If I annoy you with my constant stupid ape conversation, all you have to do is - "

" – you were wearing that nightshirt!" he blurted out. Subsequently, his ears turned a bit pink. Jackie muffled a laugh and retreated to the sitting room, keen not to hear anymore of where that conversation was going to go.

Rose blinked at him, confused and oblivious. "What nightshirt?"

"That long, white shirt that you wear sometimes in bed," he clarified, swallowing thickly.

"So?"

"'So?' 'So?' she says. _So, _when you wear that, I _really _have to concentrate on focusing my thoughts...elsewhere."

"Why?" she asked, baffled by his explanation.

He glared at her. "Are you really that stupid? Or are you just playing ignorant so that I have to say the words with your mother right in the next room?"

"Will you just tell me what you're going on about, because I've got no idea wh- "

" - Right, so you don't wear it to torment me, then?" he scoffed.

"Torment you?" she repeated, starting to laugh. "Why would I..." she trailed off, realising what he was saying. Realising his eyes were dark and staring into hers intensely. She gulped. "Hang on, are you saying..."

"Yes," he replied succinctly.

"Right." There was a pause. Rose sighed. "Sorry, I'm still not 100% sure if what I think you're thinking is right, because it's just not something I think you'd - "

Losing his patience, the Doctor grabbed her hips in his hands and dragged her towards him, leaning down to whisper in her ear, "It barely grazes your thighs, for Rassilon's sake. You think I don't notice that?"

Her heart picked up speed and she whispered back, "Oh."

He leant closer. "Yeah. Oh."

Starting to smile, she snuck her hand between them to poke him in the chest. "You saying you think I'm sexy, Doctor?" she teased.

He shivered, and turned his head so that his lips grazed her temple as he replied, "How could I not?"

She grinned, pulling back slightly to look into his eyes. "I've got a secret, too."

"Yeah?" he asked, raising his voice to a normal volume.

"Mmhmm," she agreed, nodding. "You know when you roll your shirtsleeves up to fix something under the console? And you've got like, grease or something on the end of your nose? And your glasses are almost falling off? And your hair's all ruffled from where you've tousled it as you've worked something out?"

He squinted at her, hoping he knew where this was going. "Yeah...?" he replied slowly.

She beamed up at him. "I like to imagine I've made you like that, all...rumpled and..." She gave a dramatic pause. "Delicious."

The Doctor's hands slipped under the hem of her top by an inch. "Do you now? Well, that's a coincidence." He lowered his voice again, not wanting Jackie to even catch a moment of his next sentence, in case she regenerated him for it. "Because when you wear that nightshirt of yours, firstly...I pretend it's my shirt you're wearing. Secondly...I pretend that you've got nothing on underneath...and thirdly..." He paused, and leant a little more forward, their quick, unsteady breaths mingling with the other's as their mouths hovered close. His hands slipped down to her bum, squeezing playfully. "I pretend you've just come from my bed."

As soon as he got the words out, Rose pressed her lips hard onto his, yanking him forwards by his jacket lapels as she backed them both into her room. Once inside, she pushed him back onto the door so that it closed with a slam, and utterly refused to let go of him.

That was, until he started to push her away. Her heart sank and she moved back. "What?" she said defensively, before pointing out, "You can't deny that you were kissing me back just then!"

"Wasn't going to," he retorted, grinning at her crookedly. "I just thought of something else I wanted to say."

"Oh yeah?" she grinned back, relieved, and sat on the edge of her bed. "What's that, then?"

"In the mornings," he began, as he stepped forward towards her. "Once you've finally got out of that _ridiculously gorgeous _nightshirt..." He crouched down in front of her and slid his hands up her legs to her knees, before parting them slightly so that he could kneel between them. "...and had a shower, and put these very tight jeans on..." His hands crept up her thighs and he met her gaze.

"Yeah?" she asked breathlessly. She couldn't believe he'd wanted her all this time and not told her.

"And you smell delicious and..." He smiled wistfully. "And I want to touch and taste every inch of you," he finished softly, and before she could articulate a response to _that, _he pushed his lips to hers as he stood up shakily and tilted her backwards.

Without tearing her lips away from his, she shifted herself onto the bed more fully and tugged him down above her. He caressed the side of her face, tracing his fingertips over her cheeks and jaw and ear, while his other hand journeyed to beneath her thigh, lifting her leg until she caught on and wrapped it around his waist with a sigh.

A loud knock on the door made them break apart suddenly, gasping for breath.

Jackie's voice permeated through the door and ruined the mood spectacularly. "When I said 'kiss and make up,' I didn't mean 'shag in Rose's old bedroom while I sit out there watching EastEnders.' Go back to your box if you want to do that sort of thing with my daughter, you alien-man-thing."

Rose listened for her mother's footsteps walking away before she burst into giggles. She laughed harder when she turned to look at the Doctor, who was blushing bright red at Jackie's words.

"Oi!" he protested. "Stop laughing!"

Her giggles faded out slowly and she gave him a sheepish smile. "Sorry..."

He sighed loudly. "So..."

"Mmm. So..." she echoed.

There was an awkward silence for a few moments. Then, "Rose?" he ventured.

"Yeah?"

"Um..."

"Yeah?"

He turned on his side to look at her with a wry smile playing over his lips. "Wanna go back to my box?"


	25. The Other Side of Insomnia

_**A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter XD You all made me smile during a very stressful week, so I felt compelled to write some more!**_

_**The Other Side of Insomnia...**_

The Doctor could not sleep.

He wasn't a stranger to this phenomenon. Indeed, after the War, he hadn't slept very much at all, because every time he closed his eyes, he saw his destruction; and when he opened them, all he could see was the blood on his hands.

And really, he could cope with about a third of the sleep humans needed anyway, so it wasn't that much of a problem.

But. Thing was...

This, um. This _girl_ sort of...popped up in his life unexpectedly, and...

Well. Maybe, just maybe, she made him better, because those nightmares of the War? He hardly had them any longer. Well. Not often, anyway.

And he wanted to sleep when she slept because otherwise he missed her company too much. He didn't want to start being creepy and stalkery and wandering into her room to watch her sleep, as he no doubt would if he let himself stay awake during the night. A much better, safer, more normal solution was to sleep himself.

But right now, he couldn't.

And he couldn't sleep for a very, extremely, other-end-of-the-spectrum-different reason than before...before _her._

Sighing heavily, the Doctor turned onto his front and pressed his face into his pillow.

He wasn't trying to suffocate himself, you understand. Nor was he testing out his respiratory bypass system. No. No, he was inhaling the scent of the pillow, committing it to his mind until it would seep into every memory he had of her.

Ah yes. _Her. _You see, therein lay the problem.

She'd slept in his bed yesterday. Not in the fun way, just in the normal, sleepy way. She'd had a nightmare of some kind and sought out the Doctor to reassure herself that he was still there. And the Doctor, feeling generous – as well as wanting it with every atom of his being – had allowed her to stay in his bedroom, in his _bed, _for the night. Shaken up and tired, Rose had agreed.

He could still remember the exact expression of surprise on her face when he climbed back in with her.

"What?" he'd said defensively. "I'm not going to sleep on the floor while you get the comfy mattress all to yourself."

"Oh, yeah, well, yeah, I know, sorry, I just..." she'd spluttered, blushing a delightful shade of pink.

He'd rolled his eyes as if she was silly and adorable (which she was) and told her not to steal the duvet (which she did.) Then he'd turned out the bedside lamp and they'd both closed their eyes and neither of them, _neither of them, _slept a wink.

He could hear her breathing, could hear the speed of it, and knew at once she was just pretending to have drifted off. Each rustle of the bedcovers made him tense up, expecting her to move closer by accident. She didn't.

He rectified that immediately.

If there was a Hell, he was probably going there for what he'd done in his 900 years without her anyway, so feigning sleep and wrapping his arm around her waist to pull her closer really wasn't going to make _much _difference. Aside from the fact that it could wreck his friendship with her, but...well, after her short noise of surprise, she'd quietened considerably and snuggled into him, her back up against his front. So that was alright, then.

And _then_ the fact that he was basically spooning her made his hearts beat a bit too fast; and yet he couldn't help but keep his arm around her, holding her close. He was a doomed man, and he'd known this ever since she smiled at him the first time, so...in for a penny and all that.

He realised that actually, he _must_ have drifted off at some point last night, because in the morning, she was gone. He'd never felt such a crushing disappointment than when he opened his eyes in confusion after not feeling her still in his arms, and saw the empty side of the bed. He'd have thought he'd dreamt the entire thing if it wasn't for the scent of her permeating his room. His bed.

And he'd met her in the kitchen for breakfast. And he'd checked, "You alright?" And she'd replied, "Yes, thanks." And that was all that was mentioned about the night before, if you could even call it a mention.

The rest of the day they passed the time on a planet called Sango, in its tropical rainforest, no less. And they were back to their normal flirty banter and easy way of being with each other, swinging their joined hands between them like they always did, laughing and joking and having fun just like usual.

Except – and now, here was what she didn't know – every time he looked at her all he could see was her golden hair spread across his pillow, tickling his nose. And when she held his hand, all he could think of was the way she fit against him, _horizontally, _not just palm to palm or vertical hugging. And as they were running – because near the end of their relatively trouble-free day, she'd said something that had accidently offended one of the locals (which made a change; usually that was his job) – all he could think was how else he'd like her to move, chest heaving, beside, beneath, above him.

At one point, she'd caught him staring at her stomach when her top rode up as she climbed a tree. He'd told her some lie about thinking he saw an insect there (in which case: _be careful, Rose Tyler – one Telascotti bite and you're loopy for a couple of hours!) _when really, he was remembering his arm looped around her waist, his palm splayed across that very piece of tantalisingly exposed skin.

Of course, this daydreaming about his friend was not exactly _new. _The truth of it was, he always had about twenty-two simultaneous thoughts going on involving Rose Tyler. His other five thoughts (for twenty-seven at once was Standard Time Lord Procedure) could be dedicated to other things. You know, less important things. Like temporal physics and escape plans and where to go next.

Anyway, the day had continued in much the same way (even when they ate their dinner, he couldn't help but wonder if her tongue would feel as divine as it looked, licking up the peach juice from around her mouth as it was...) and when they got back to the TARDIS, Rose informed him of her plans for the rest of the night.

"Right," she'd yawned. "I'm gonna grab a shower, then go to bed, I think. I'm knackered."

And he'd nodded and replied, "Okay, then. Night..." and sat on the jumpseat wondering what she'd do if he just so happened to walk passed her bathroom as she was stepping out, her towel wrapped around her and her wet hair dripping rivulets of water down her back and chest and...

And then he'd hurried along to have a shower of his own, trying, desperately, _desperately _trying to put all thoughts of Rose out of his mind. It didn't really work.

Now here he was. Tossing and turning in his bed that Rose had been in, just twenty-four hours before. He half-wished she'd have another nightmare, as cruel as that sounded, just so she'd have an excuse to turn up at his door again. Just so he'd have an excuse to wrap his arms around her again.

He groaned loudly in frustration. Laying on his back now, he stared up at the ceiling, wondering if he should just _take a chance,_ and tell her that he sort of maybe definitely was in –

He sat up straight as he heard his door squeak open, a delighted smile making its way onto his face before he remembered he should control that, in case she was upset.

"Rose?" he murmured.

The light from the corridor illuminated Rose in his doorway, and she looked lovely, all pink and yellow and golden. And she was wearing the pyjamas he loved, the ones he had found, quite spontaneously, on the planet Rekkio, and was adamant that she buy. The ones with the really short shorts with little bananas printed on them, and the vest top thingy that had _I Heart Bananas _written across the, uh, chest area_. _

Whenever she wore them, he thought back to that day, back to her bemused expression at his insistence that these were the best pyjamas he'd ever seen and she simply _had _to get them, seeing at they were for women, not men, and _at least one of us should be wearing the best pyjamas in the universe, Rose Tyler. _And she'd complied with his request with a loud sigh – but the twinkle in her eyes told him she was only pretending to be exasperated with him. Just like how he pretended to be miffed at her when she called him 'adorably cute,' when secretly, he was quite pleased.

"Hi," she replied, stepping in.

"Are you alright?"

She nodded firmly as she moved closer to the bed, leaving the door open so that she could see where she was going. "Yeah, I'm fine. It was just...I..." She looked embarrassed. "I couldn't sleep, so I was gonna go make some hot chocolate when I heard you groan really loudly and it sounded as though you were in pain, so I..." Her eyes darted across his face, before searching his eyes. "But you...you seem okay, so...are you okay? I mean, you look okay, but -"

"Rose," he said quietly, interrupting her.

He watched her curiously as she swallowed hard. "Yeah?"

"Why are you talking so fast?" he asked, his lips curving into a half smile. "Are _you _okay?"

"Yeah, I told you, I'm fine," she said quickly.

"You look really nervous and on edge," he told her wisely. "What's wrong?"

"_Nothing's _wrong," she insisted. She let out a sigh and sat on the edge of his bed, facing away from him. "I don't know what's up with me, I just..."

"What?" he prompted. When she didn't reply, he moved over to where she was sitting, and swung his legs out of bed so that he was sitting next to her. He felt her tense up and took her hand, entwining their fingers gently. He kept watching her, but she didn't turn her head to look at him. He squeezed her hand. "Rose, tell me what's on your mind."

She stood up hastily and took her hand back. "No, it's, it's, I..."

Starting to feel anxious about what she was thinking about, the Doctor stood up too, and placed his hands on her shoulders, looking into her eyes. "You can tell me anything, you know that, yeah?"

"Yeah, I know..." Rose mumbled. She sighed again, and stepped back, shrugging his hands from her shoulders. "Okay. I'm just gonna say it. Please don't get weird about this, alright?"

His brow furrowed. "Wh - " he began, but Rose cut across him.

"Promise me you won't get all awkward and defensive? Just let me say it?"

"I promise. Please, Rose...just, say what you want to say," he asked her, curious and anxious and a little desperate that she would just let him know what on earth she was thinking.

She breathed out roughly. "I...I keep thinking about last night," she said quickly, wincing once she'd said the words, as if bracing herself for his reaction.

He blinked at her in surprise. "Oh. Um...why would I get awkward and defensive about that?"

"I dunno," she replied sarcastically. "Because maybe you won't like to know exactly_ what_ I'm thinking about last night?"

He gulped. "Oh. So...what's that, then?"

"Okay. So before I came to you last night, I was having this nightmare where I...lost you, and...and when I woke up, I just needed to see you, just to know you were still okay, and..."

"And...?"

"And then I got here, and you were lying there..." she continued, gesturing to the bed. "Asleep. Completely asleep, and you looked so peaceful, so still, so quiet..."

"Right...?"

"And I didn't mean to wake you, really, I just...couldn't resist standing there and watching you for a few minutes." She paused then, looking contemplative all of a sudden. "What did you think, when you opened your eyes and saw me watching you?"

The Doctor sincerely didn't mean to say it, but the words, the truth, tumbled out before he could stop them. "I thought you looked beautiful."

Rose's mouth dropped open.

"I – I mean, er," he stuttered, realising his mistake. "Um. Well, I was a bit...worried, I didn't know why you were there, so, er...yeah. But I didn't mind. That you woke me up, I mean. You can always come to me if you need to, you know that."

She composed herself and then asked, "So, it was okay?"

"What was okay?"

"That I...stayed?"

"I asked you to, didn't I?" he retorted, baffled by her anxiety over it.

"Yeah, but..." she trailed off, looking at him helplessly.

"_What, _Rose?"

"You don't...you don't remember what happened, do you," she murmured.

He rubbed at his eyes wearily. "Rose, will you please just tell me - "

" – you kissed me," she blurted out.

His eyes went wide. "I _what?"_

"Not on the lips," she added hurriedly. "Just, um." She gestured to the curve where her neck met her shoulder. "Here."

He swallowed thickly; he'd dreamt about kissing her there. Everywhere else, too, of course, but...but there most of all. It was a part of her body that had him constantly fixated upon it, whenever she tied her hair back, or wore one of her off-the-shoulder tops.

"You were sleeping," she continued quietly. "I think maybe you were dreaming or something. I dunno. But all of a sudden you trailed your hand up my arm...sort of, swept my hair out of the way, and kissed me there. And your hand..."

He closed his eyes and winced. "Oh god."

"It sort of...moved to my hip, and you...um..." She cut off, looking flustered. "You pulled me closer, and, and, well, I felt, well, I felt your, um..."

The Doctor's eyes snapped open in time to see her nod towards his lower body.

"Ah."

She smiled awkwardly. "Yeah..."

He watched her shift uncomfortably from foot to foot. "Rose?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm...I'm sorry."

To his surprise, she giggled. "It's okay, I just...I thought you'd be, I dunno...angry with me or something."

"What? It wasn't _your _fault, I just...must have...I don't know...been having an interesting dream. Or something."

"I know, but. Well. I got up and left."

"Oh," he replied quietly. "Right. Well, I don't blame you. It must have been...awkward." He suddenly couldn't look her in the eye.

Rose didn't say anything. She suddenly had a lump in her throat she couldn't get rid of.

"Are...are we...you know. Okay?" he asked, staring at the floor.

She just about managed to respond, "What do you mean?" without her voice cracking.

"Well, I haven't ruined things, have I?"

"No," she replied firmly, shaking her head. "Course you haven't. I just wanted to get it out in the open. So that we can...move past it."

His jaw tightened. "And just forget about it?"

"Yeah," she croaked out, her throat dry.

He looked back at her again. "Can we do that?"

"Why, don't you think we can?"

"I don't know," he replied honestly.

"Then what do you suggest?" she retorted. A worrying thought went through her mind. "I'm not leaving," she insisted adamantly.

He looked surprised. "I didn't say you were!"

"No, but you were thinking it."

"I wasn't," he assured her.

"Then why do you look so sad?" She paused, waiting for an answer. When it didn't come, she continued, "Look, it was a stupid involuntary bodily reaction, it doesn't mean anything, right? I mean, I know you're not human, but it all works the same, I'm guessing? So it's really not a problem. A silly thing like that's not gonna ruin our friendship."

"Then why did you bring it up?" he asked.

"Because...because...well, I couldn't just _ignore _it completely. I was surprised, though, that's all. Shocked. I didn't think..."

"Didn't think what?"

"Well, I've never seen you get like that before. Well, obviously." She laughed nervously. "So...I dunno. I'd always wondered if Time Lords even...did that sort of thing."

"They didn't, not really. Not that often, anyway," he told her seriously.

"Then...why?"

His cheeks went a bit pink. "Like I said. Must have been having an interesting dream."

"About who?" she asked harshly, before she could stop herself. She cringed slightly at the envy in her voice.

The Doctor laughed shakily and looked away. "I...I don't remember."

"Great," she muttered.

"You don't..."

"What?"

"You don't _want _to leave, do you?"

She stared at him unblinkingly. "I just told you, it's silly to get so worked up about something like this." She sighed, and looked towards his bed, her thoughts wistful. "Not like anything even..."

The Doctor remained silent.

"Wait," she started, looking back at him. "So...you...you don't want me to leave, do you?"

They were both quiet for a moment. Then, "I want you to stay," he murmured softly.

Rose smiled in relief. "Good." Then she yawned widely. "Well, then, I suppose...well, I should go back to bed -"

"No, I mean - " he paused briefly, gathering his courage with a deep breath in. "- I want you to stay here. With me. Now. Tonight." He winced, thinking he probably could have phrased this question better. Maybe more romantically. If he were that sort of a man, of course. Which he was not. Definitely, definitely...not. Perhaps.

"In your room?" she asked tentatively, hoping she'd not misinterpreted his request.

"In my bed," he clarified. He winced again and she raised an eyebrow. "Again. I mean, only if...only if _you _want to," he continued hurriedly.

She smiled shyly, biting her lip as she contemplated that for a moment. Her tongue crept out to touch the corner of her mouth and the Doctor sighed in relief once he saw, knowing that she wasn't going to be angry with him for suggesting such a thing.

"Is that really wise?" she asked teasingly.

"Probably not," he answered truthfully. "But I'm thinking of ditching the wisdom in favour of recklessness tonight. Want to join me?"

"Yeah, alright," she shrugged, seeming indifferent; but the mischief in her sparkling eyes and the fact that her smile was now more of a big grin told him she really didn't mind.

"But Rose, I mean..." He looked at her helplessly, wondering how he could ask her to actually, you know...sleep with him the fun way...without it just seeming like he was asking for sex. Which he wasn't. He wanted to instigate something permanent, something meaningful. He wanted her to know that it was her he dreamed of. He wanted her to know how much she meant to him.

He wanted to ask her if he could make love to her forever, not just one night.

"You mean what?" she asked, as he took a step closer to her.

"Have you, uh, have you ever considered..."

"Considered...?"

"I, erm, I mean, I was wondering if you would be...inclined to, um, to want..."

"Doctor," she said impatiently. "Will you just say it?"

He exhaled roughly. "I don't want you to take what I say the wrong way," he complained.

Rose stared at him silently for a few moments, searching his eyes again, then seemingly came to a conclusion. "Okay, then. If you're worried I'll take what you say the wrong way, why don't you just _show _me what you mean?"

The Doctor's eyes widened. "Well, I suppose...right. Okay. Just...don't pull away, let me..."

And then, to Rose's immense surprise, he closed the distance between them and kissed her. Moving his lips against hers, he coaxed her mouth open, and then she started participating properly, kissing him back, tentatively twirling her tongue around his. She moaned into his mouth when his hands ran down her back, before resting at her waist, the pads of his thumbs tracing circles on her hip bones through the fabric of her pyjama shorts. She let her hands wander up to his hair, and, tugging it gently, she pulled his lips away from hers.

Breathing heavily, she looked up at him with heavy-lidded eyes as she said, "I sort of just meant, show me your thoughts in your mind – like telepathy, yeah?"

"Oh," he realised, gulping. He let go of her waist. "Ah. Well. Sorry."

She giggled, and giggled even more when he looked affronted at her giggling.

"_What?" _he demanded.

"Nothing, nothing." She shifted closer to him, and moved her hands down to his, bringing them back to her waist. "But you don't need to be _sorry. _It was much better, you doing that. I just didn't expect that to be the thing you were thinking of, big Time Lord brain that you've got. Just like I didn't expect you to have..." Her voice lowered. "...naughty dreams."

"Oh, you'd be surprised then, if you saw inside my mind."

Her eyebrows climbed her forehead. "Oh yeah? In a good way?"

He shrugged, a hint of a smile twitching into existence at his lips. "That depends on whether you think similar thoughts or not, really, doesn't it?"

"Are you asking me if I think about kissing you?" she teased.

"That's exactly what I'm asking," he assured her.

"Well," she began, and he jumped a bit when she trailed her hand up his chest. "Maybe occasionally."

"Just occasionally?"

"Yeah...because..." she smiled seductively. "Maybe there are even better things to think about you doing with me."

"Rose," he murmured breathlessly.

"Yeah?" she replied, tilting her head up.

"I lied, earlier."

"When?"

"When you asked me who I was dreaming about."

"Oh?" She couldn't keep the hopeful note out of her voice.

"Well, you see, it's really quite a simple question for me to answer," he said, swallowing past his nerves to finally just _admit _it. "Because it's you. It's always you."

Rose smiled, extremely pleased, and leant closer to him to whisper across his lips, "You dream about me."

"Yeah," he breathed out. "It's all very...interesting."

"What do we...do? In your dreams?"

He chuckled deeply. "Weeelll...all sorts of things."

"Yeah?"

"Mmhmm."

"Good to know." She lifted herself on tiptoes, aligning her mouth with his again.

"Yeah," he exhaled roughly. He stared into her eyes for a few moments.

Rose was growing impatient. "Doctor, if you don't kiss me again in the next ten seconds, I may have to just strip off and lay on your bed, because my neck is really starting to ache, staring up at you like this - "

He cut off her little rant the way she wanted him to, by sealing their lips together again. He walked backwards, guiding her with him with his hands at her waist, and then flopped onto the bed, pulling her down with him. She broke the kiss and giggled in surprise. "Hello," she murmured.

"Hello," he whispered back.

They grinned at each other, and both of them secretly knew that they wouldn't experience sleepless nights on their own anymore. Together, on the other hand...


	26. We're Still Us

_**A/N: Set in the night they spend in the episode, The Impossible Planet. Sharing a room (and a bed) Rose and the Doctor have a discussion that leads to an interesting and unexpected conclusion...**_

_**-x-**_

_**We're Still Us**_

"Tell me a story," she said gently.

He stroked her hair back as he glanced down at her. "Hmm?"

"A fairytale. Or...or something about you, a memory or something."

"About my past?" he clarified.

"Yeah."

He let out a low chuckle. "Nothing very fairytale about that, but I suppose - "

"- but it has to be good," she interrupted. "It has to be happy. Or have a happy ending."

A faint smile crossed his lips in amusement at her request. Unable to deny her anything, however, he complied. "Once upon a time..."

She grinned, and snuggled into his chest, settling herself in for his story.

"There was a man," he continued.

"A handsome man," she interjected.

He chuckled deep in his chest. "Oh yes. A very, _very _handsome man. And he was wandering the universe, doing nothing in particular – except running, of course, from the dark."

"The dark?" she echoed.

"The dark. The darkest dark there ever was. For this man, see, he was...he was in a war. A terrible War. One that destroyed his entire planet, all his people...everything. Gone. And he was weighed down with guilt, for he was responsible - "

"No he wasn't," she interrupted softly. "He had to do it. It was the only way left."

"Who's telling the story?" he asked, nudging her gently.

"You, but you're telling it wrong," she protested. "Besides, I asked for something happy."

"Believe me, it turns into something happy soon. Sooner than you might think, actually."

"Really?"

"Yes," he assured her firmly. "So he's moping about one day in his magnificent time-and-spaceship - " he cut himself off briefly, and Rose heard him swallow hard before he continued, " – and he sees this curious signal on the screen in the console room, something alerting him to a little green-and-blue planet in the next solar system that he had often visited before; it needed his help. It didn't know it yet, but it did."

"What happened?" she prompted, trying to keep her eyes open.

"There was a creature," he answered. "Hiding away, planning an invasion. And this man, see, he had to stop it. Weelll, he didn't _have _to, as such, but he was quite fond of this planet and didn't think it deserved to be taken over by such a creature, so he thought he'd better sort the mess out."

"And did you?" she mumbled sleepily.

"Not quite. You know why?"

"Why?" she asked through a yawn.

"Because he met a girl."

She woke up a bit at that. "Did he now..."

"Yep. And he looked at her, and...and something inside him just _knew."_

"Knew what?"

"That he would...that he wanted her to travel with him."

"And this girl...what did she look like?" she asked, suppressing a smile.

"Beautiful. Young. Human. So _alive." _He paused dramatically, and lowered his voice to murmur, "Blonde."

"Oh yeah?" Rose giggled.

"Yeah." He looked at the top of her head fondly, resisting the urge to lift her head so he could look into her eyes. "Anyway, it turned out that this girl, this tiny, insignificant - "

"Oi!"

" – human, was actually fantastic. It was her who saved the day, even though she had never seen such a creature, had never even conceptualised such an event happening on her planet before. It was her who saved the man, too, even when her then-idiot/boyfriend told her to just leave him. And then the man knew that his instincts were right; he had to ask her to come with him. No one had ever made such an impression on him before, especially not in such a short space of time."

She made a pleased sound in the back of her throat and he chuckled.

"But do you know what she said, when he asked her?"

"I expect so," Rose replied knowingly. "She told him no."

"Exactly! I mean, what's that about, eh?"

"Maybe she thought he was coming on too strong," she joked. "Spent one day with her and he's asking her to move in with him!"

"Yes, well. I doubt he let himself dwell on the domestic connotations of _that," _he mumbled. "Anyway! He left for about eighteen seconds and then realised something."

"He missed her!" Rose exclaimed laughingly.

"Actually, I was going to say that he realised he'd forgotten to tell her that his ship also travelled in time."

"Yeah, sure, whatever," she giggled.

"Point is, he went back."

"And asked again."

"Yep. And that was something new, see, 'cos he never usually asks twice."

"No? Well, she must have been special, then," she laughed.

"Indeed," he replied softly.

"And she said yes this time."

"She did," he smiled.

"And they lived happily ever after," she concluded.

"Yeah," he beamed down at her. He considered that a moment and his grin faltered slightly. "Well, give or take a few points when he acted like a complete idiot."

"Well, obviously," she grinned.

"And the times he thought he'd lost her," he added quietly.

"Yeah. And she him."

"Mmm."

"Mostly happy, though," she amended. He didn't reply this time and she lifted her head to look at him. "I know that things might be..."

"What?" he prompted gently.

She swallowed thickly. "Different. Difficult. But..."

"But?"

"Well. We're still us," she reasoned.

"We are," he smiled at her reassuringly.

"And even if we do end up having to...you know...the whole...house-with-carpets-and-doors thing - "

" – yes, Rose," he interrupted, stroking her arm softly. "I will share a mortgage with you."

Her eyes widened. "Yeah? 'Cos earlier, you didn't sound too pleased with the idea."

"Well, I'm not getting one on my own!" he retorted. He looked into her eyes, then, and gave her a shy smile as he added, "Plus, it could be fun."

"Fun? Earlier you were practically shuddering at the thought!"

"Well maybe I'm just scared about what it'll mean for us," he justified, averting his gaze to the ceiling.

"How do you mean?"

"I wouldn't be able to bear it if you ended up resenting me, Rose," he whispered, a lump in his throat.

"I wouldn't resent you!" she protested.

"You might. When it all sinks in that I've trapped you so far from home. When you realise just what it means to never see your own mother again."

"But I'll still have you."

He looked back at her swiftly. "Yeah, but what use am I if I haven't got the TARDIS?"

Rose stared at him in shock. "Are you seriously asking me that?"

"Yes," he replied earnestly.

"Oh my God, you just don't get it, do you?" she sighed tiredly. "I'm - "

" - No, _you_ don't get it," he said quickly, before she could continue. "I want to show you everything, Rose. There are so many places you deserve to see, and I want to share the universe with you. You know what my days consist of, now? The ones where disaster doesn't follow us, I mean?" She shook her head wordlessly. "It's me, doing everything I can think of to put a smile on your face. To see your eyes light up. To make you happy. How can I do that, on some solitary, rubbish old planet?"

She blinked. Once. Twice. And then she decided she really was in love with a complete idiot. "Doctor."

"Yeah?" he sighed, rubbing at his eyes wearily with his free hand.

"Um. Right. The thing is...and I mean, that was really sweet and everything, and I'm really grateful and touched and all that, but... don't you know the real reason I'm happy when I'm with you?"

He swallowed nervously, and shrugged a shoulder.

"It's because I'm with_ you," _she told him earnestly.

The Doctor narrowed his eyes slightly. "But - "

" – no buts. It's you I stick around for. I can deal with being anywhere – trapped here, or trapped on some planet if we manage to get out – as long as you're with me. It's the fact that you'll get bored with me and end up leaving that's worrying me."

"_What?" _he snapped harshly.

Rose jumped at his tone. "What do you mean, '_what?'"_

"How can you even..." he trailed off, and removed his arm from around her, trying to demonstrate his annoyance at her suggestion. "I can't believe you would even _think _that I'd...!"

"Woah, hang on," she countered, sitting up straight. "Don't have a go at me! You can't deny that it's gonna drive you mad, you staying put on – what was it you called it? 'Some solitary, rubbish old planet?' Never mind that you've never even seen where they're gonna drop us off yet!"

"Well, I - " he tried to interject.

But Rose continued, deciding she needed to convey to him exactly how worried she was that he wasn't going to stay with her wherever they ended up. "For all you know, it could be wonderful! But no, you wouldn't give it a chance, would you? Well, no, maybe you would. For about a week."

"That's not...!" he spluttered, but Rose continued.

"You'd treat it as some sort of holiday but then you'll start to get antsy, wanting to leave, but you won't be able take us away in the TARDIS, so you'll do the next best thing and get away from the person that's keeping you standing still, making you live with her – that's me, by the way – and then you'll piss off to the other side of the planet while I'm trying to get used to everything, trying to get a job or buy bloody _carpets _and all that other stuff you're so scared of, and then, _then _I'll resent you, because do you know what?"

"What?" he replied shortly.

"It's not your fault that we'll be stuck there, it really isn't. But it'll be your fault that I'll be on my own, and maybe, maybe you'll turn up again one day, but it won't be for long, do you know why? Because I'd have aged a bit, and that'll freak you out, remind you that I'll only _wither _and _die _anyway, so you might as well get out while you can and not have to face my human bloody wrinkles and arthritis and - "

The Doctor simply could not listen to her talking such rubbish any longer. He grabbed hold of her by the shoulders and yanked her towards him, before cutting off her rant with a firm press of his mouth to hers. Initially shocked, Rose automatically opened her mouth beneath his, and he took the opportunity to deepen the kiss. It was only a few moments later, and she started to relax in his hold, letting her hands slide up and into his hair, keeping him close.

When he let go of her so that they could inhale some much needed oxygen, he couldn't tear his eyes away from hers, which were wide in amazement at the fact they'd just snogged the breath out of one another. They were also as dark as he'd ever seen them, and within seconds, he felt drawn into her again, tugging her more gently towards him this time so that he could kiss her slowly, his hands cupping her face, the pads of his thumbs stroking her cheeks.

Rose broke the kiss off this time, and he felt his hearts sink when she moved away from him, shifting off the bed and standing up. She backed up until she could go no further, pressed against the wall, and tried to control her breathing.

"You can't do that," she murmured, her voice shaking. "It's not fair."

There was a lump in throat that he couldn't dislodge as he stood up and closed the distance between them again. "You're wrong."

"What about?" she asked, her breath hitching as he stepped close enough for her to feel the lapels of his jacket brush against her chest, his hands positioned either side of her head, palms flat against the wall.

"Everything. But firstly, how can you tell me that it's not fair for me to kiss you? Don't you think it was pretty unfair of you to say all you just said?"

"No, actually. I don't. Because that's what's gonna happen, isn't it?" she told him, biting her lip to stop herself getting tearful. "You'll try to be happy, but you won't be. And then you'll resent _me. _And then you'll leave. Because I'll never be enough for you."

His eyes searched hers for a moment, and then his shoulders slumped, his hands sliding down the wall before falling to his sides. "Rassilon, you really think that, don't you?" he asked in disbelief. He closed his eyes, not wanting to see when she started to cry. He knew it'd be the catalyst to_ him _breaking down, too. And he didn't want _her _to see _that. _"I thought you were just saying that to upset me, but you really mean it, don't you?

"What else am I supposed to think?" she asked softly, genuinely curious to know what the hell he envisioned life was going to be like, now. She'd said, earlier, they'd be okay, they'd still be _them; _and she'd said it with a conviction she'd pretended to have, hoping he'd enhance it rather than dismiss or diminish it.

He pressed his forehead against hers, and brought his hands up to her hips, holding her steady. "That I'm going to look after you," he answered. "That I'm going to stay with you. That you'll always be enough for me, always. That I love you, always."

She gripped his arms quickly. "Did you just say - "

" – yes," he answered firmly, tilting his head back to regard her seriously. He lifted a hand to her cheek, and stroked away her tears. "I've always loved you, and I always will. Losing the TARDIS won't change that. Nothing, _nothing, _could ever change that."

"Doctor..." she mumbled awkwardly, not knowing what to say. Not knowing whether she should apologise, or just...tell him that she loved him back.

"What else can I possibly say or do to make you believe me?" he asked, feeling helpless at her non-response.

"Nothing," she answered, shaking her head. Starting to smile, she looped her arms around his neck. "I'm sorry, I didn't know."

"Didn't know what?"

Rose rolled her eyes. "That you...felt like that..."

He exhaled roughly and asked, "Are you saying you don't?"

She pressed a gently kiss to his lips and moved her body closer to his. "Am I acting like I don't?"

"Well, I dunno...you humans are always a bit dodgy," he smiled.

"Had much experience, then?"

"No!" he corrected hastily. "No, not at all. I mean, not with humans."

"Really? All those young women you abduct from their homes, and you've never..." She waggled her eyebrows.

"How can you go from shouting at me one minute to teasing me the next?" he wondered.

Rose gave an ineloquent snort and countered, "How can you go from shying away from domestics one moment to then declaring that you love me?"

"Because it needed saying," he told her.

She raised an eyebrow. "Because you wanted me to stop shouting at you?"

He sighed impatiently. "_No._ Just because it needed saying."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"You gonna kiss me again, then?"

His eyes lit up. "Could be persuaded..." he murmured, leaning forward.

Then, quite abruptly, Rose frowned, and pushed him back a bit. "Wait. You're not just doing this because..."

"Because what?"

"Because you've lost the TARDIS. 'Literally the only thing' you have?"

"You really don't want to know how often I imagine this kissing thing happening, Rose," he answered. "And when I said she's literally the only thing I have, that wasn't a conscious exclusion of you. I just didn't want you to think that I assumed I could say that I 'have' you. Because you're very much your own woman, Rose Tyler. No one could ever own you."

"It's not about ownership," she replied softly. "It's about - " She cut herself off, not wanting to scare him with too much domestic in one evening.

"Partnership?" he finished for her. Astounded, Rose nodded absently to agree with him. "Okay then."

She swallowed thickly. "What if one day, all you're going to have are stories to tell me?"

"No. What if one day all I'm going to have is you, and stories to tell you?" he corrected. He offered her a small smile. "Oh, the answer's easy, Rose. I can live with that. After all, stuck with you? That's not so - "

She cut off the end of his sentence, pressing her lips back to his.


	27. a Hot Drink and a Rose Cuddle

**A/N: With a grateful virtual hug, I dedicate this to DonnaForPresident for prompting this idea aaaages ago :) xxx**_**  
**_

_**He Just Needed a Hot Drink and a Rose Cuddle**_

_**-x-**_

"Last of the Time Lords? Oncoming Storm?" she reminded him. "And you're making all this fuss over nothing! I'd've thought you'd try and ignore it, pretend someone else is sneezing every ten seconds. But you genuinely are feeling terribly sorry for yourself, aren't you?"

He growled at her. "Rose! I'm not making a fuss about nothing!"

"It's just a cold, Doctor," Rose sighed.

"It bloody isn't!" he protested, sniffing despondently. "I'm dying!"

"Men," she muttered, rolling her eyes as she swiftly turned and left his room.

The Doctor stared after her like a little lost puppy. Why had she gone and left him? He wasn't well! He needed a nice hot drink and Rose.

He sank down on his bed with a deep, depressed sigh, lying back against his pillows. His hand flexed uselessly and he felt very cold. He needed either a warm hand to hold or a warm body to cuddle; preferably both. Preferably Rose. Well, only Rose. Why had she deserted him in his hour of need? He looked after her every single time_ that_ time of the month rolled around, providing her with chocolate and painkillers and even a backrub! He rarely got ill himself; was this too much to ask? One little snuggle before bed to warm him up and make him feel better? Hmph.

He let out a large groan, hoping she'd hear and come rushing back to him.

Silence.

He closed his eyes, pursed his lips, folded his arms, and rolled onto his front in a sulk. It was an uncomfortable position to remain in too long, and he chanced a peek over his shoulder to see if she'd arrived. His shoulders sank again when he acknowledged that she wasn't coming back.

He knew he'd been whining a little bit, but _seriously. _It was nothing compared to her bloody mood swings.

He rolled over, huffing and puffing in frustration and discomfort. Except, he accidently rolled over in precisely the wrong direction. He landed on his back on the hard, non-carpeted floor with a BUMP, and cursed loudly in his native tongue.

"What the hell are you doing in here?" Rose mumbled as she cocked open his bedroom door with her hip, carrying a tray with both hands.

"Rose!" he exclaimed delightedly, jumping up off the floor. He immediately regretted it. One, because now he felt very dizzy. He sat down on the bed again, clutching his forehead. Two, because by the looks of things, to go with the lovely bowl of soup she'd brought him, Rose had also paid a visit to the medicine cupboard, and brought along a not-so-lovely bottle of goodness' knows what for him to drink.

Rose set the tray down on his bedside table and removed his hand from his face, replacing it with her own to feel his forehead, checking if he had a temperature. He knew he didn't; in fact, her warm hand on his head warmed him up. When she made to pull her hand away, he stopped her, holding her wrist gently in a request to keep her hand where it was.

Medicine notwithstanding, he was very, very glad Rose had returned. "You came back," he murmured appreciatively.

"Course I did. I was only making you soup, silly," she giggled, sitting down next to him. She dutifully kept her hand on his head. "Now this is a role reversal. Normally, if one of us is ill, it's me with a fever or something and you resting your cool hand on my forehead. Now, you're freezing and want the extra warmth only a human can provide." She winked at him and he chuckled.

"What flavour soup is it?" the Doctor asked apprehensively. He wasn't sure if they made pear soup, but he wasn't taking any chances. If there was any trace of pear in it he was determined to kick up a right fuss.

"Tomato, your favourite."

"With grated cheese on top?" he asked hopefully, perking up a bit.

"See for yourself," she laughed, reaching for the bowl and passing it to him with a spoon.

"It does! Oh, Rose. Thank you," he said gratefully, taking a sip of the soup.

"Now, I know you're going to moan about this, but I found you some medicine. There's no aspirin included, so no worries there. You take a couple of teaspoons now and then a couple in three hours, okay?"

His spoon paused halfway to his mouth as he stared at the offending article. "But I bet it tastes _awful," _he complained.

"Tough! Now, give me that while you shift backwards on the bed..." She rearranged the covers until he was nice and tucked in, all cosy, and then gave him the tray, his bowl of soup placed back onto it, sitting next to a mug of tea. "Finish this up. And then take the medicine, alright?"

She stood up to leave and he grabbed her hand again. "Can't you stay?" he mumbled quietly.

"I'll be back in a sec," she smiled. "Just gonna get your present."

"I have a present?" he replied eagerly.

"Well. Sort of. You actually own it, so not really. But I thought it might cheer you up."

She popped out of his bedroom for a few incessantly boring minutes, and came back in with an armful of the _Harry Potter_ saga. His eyes widened in enjoyment. "Thanks, Rose," he said softly, as she set them down in a pile on the floor next to his side of the bed. She'd picked up his glasses from where he'd left them in the library, and tucked one of the arms on the neck of her vest top so she wouldn't squash them. He noticed this, and admired the sight for a moment. The weight of the glasses had pulled her top down slightly and he rather liked the little, tiny, slither of a glimpse of black lace bra he could see.

He blinked quickly. This illness must be affecting him far more than he thought, if he was suddenly noticing such things about his dearest friend...

Or...perhaps not. Maybe he always noticed, simply because he fancied her rotten. But the difference was, now he couldn't _pretend_ he hadn't noticed, because she was following the line of his gaze and oh dear, now _she'd _noticed. She unhooked the glasses and placed them on the bedside table, blushing only slightly as she moved her top back into its rightful position.

He sneezed then. Loudly.

"Bless you," she grinned. "I forgot to bring tissues. You got any in here?"

"Mmhmm – should be some in the drawer," he replied, before sneezing again.

She opened said beside drawer and lifted out the box. "Handy," she commented with a small smile.

"Very," he agreed, and sneezed again, before blowing his nose. "Blimey!"

"Finished?"

"Think so, yeah," he smiled.

"I wonder where you caught it?" Rose mused, sitting herself down next to him.

"Dunno," he shrugged, continuing to eat his soup.

Rose watched him silently for a few minutes, an affectionate smile on her face as he sniffed and coughed and dribbled soup down his chin. He glanced at her and caught her staring.

"What?" he asked.

"You're such a little boy sometimes. It's so cute."

The Doctor wasn't sure whether to be insulted or happy with that statement. After four-point-six seconds he decided on the latter. In fact, he suddenly looked positively_ chuffed. _"You think I'm cute," he grinned cockily.

"Yeah, like as in, a cute little kid who gets his food down him," Rose answered dismissively, unable to meet his gaze.

He wiped his chin absently and set down his tray on the bedside table. He turned back to face her, his knowing grin still firmly on his face. "Yeah. Okay," he said sarcastically. "But admit it, you think I'm cute as in, a cute and rather dashing Time Lord who has swept you off your feet, too, right?"

Rose scoffed loudly. "Whatever."

"Your cheeks are turning pink. That means I'm right," he informed her sagely, leaning closer to her. "I don't mind, you know."

"There's nothing _to _mind," Rose denied firmly, looking back at him and starting to laugh. "So you can wipe that smirk _right _off your face!"

The Doctor narrowed his eyes at her. "Well, if you're going to be rude..."

"If I'm going to be rude what?"

"Well," he sniffed. "I won't tell you if I think _you _are cute or not."

"Doctor, can you please stop using the word 'cute?' It's really starting to get a bit weird."

"What? Why?"

"It just is."

"Which adjective would you prefer me to refer to you as?"

"I really don't care."

"Yes you do," he countered smugly. He shifted down the bed a bit, balancing his head his palm with his elbow digging into his pillow, and he stared up at her. "You are cute, though. When you scrunch up your face when you're confused about something. There's this little crease in your forehead - " He lifted his hand to trace said crease, which, seeing as Rose was feeling very confused at that moment, had made a demonstrative appearance. " – just here. And your nose wrinkles up, just like you're doing now. And you bite your lip, just like that." He pulled his hand away and smiled. "Yep. Very cute. Also: adorable, sweet, silly, lovely, pretty – insert many other synonyms here."

Rose stared at him. "Okay, so now I know you really are ill."

The Doctor sat up straight. "What do you mean?" He sneezed, then, and wiped his nose quickly. "I mean, I know I am ill, too, but that has nothing to do with the fact that I think you're lovely."

She laughed shakily. "Well, you're not usually this...complimentary..."

"I am!" he insisted. At her raised eyebrow he relented, "weeelll. In my head, I am. I often have very nice, complimentary thoughts about you. I just don't always...say them out loud..."

They looked at each other for a few moments without saying anything. He leant a little closer to her, hoping she'd take pity on him and just pull him into her arms for a cuddle.

Then, Rose abruptly cleared her throat, and pointed towards the bottle of medicine. "I know your game," she chuckled uncertainly. "You're trying to distract me from making you drink your medicine. Come on. Two teaspoons, remember."

He shook his head defiantly. "I'm not trying to distract you and I'm definitely not drinking _that."_

"Doctor, it'll make you feel better."

"I don't care. Medicine is disgusting. It's always, _always _disgusting."

"I reckon you'll be pleasantly surprised," Rose smiled. "Look, I'll take a sip, and prove to you that it's okay, alright?"

He looked at her suspiciously. "Okaaay..."

Rose unscrewed the lid and poured some of the yellow liquid onto a spoon.

"Eugh, it's _yellow," _complained the Doctor. "That can't be good. Medicine shouldn't be yellow. Are you sure you want to do this, Rose? You don't have to."

"I don't mind," she insisted, bring the spoon up to her mouth.

His impulsive grasp on her wrist halted her movement. "No, really. You don't have to go through this pain and suffering just for me."

His sincere expression made Rose burst into giggles. "Doctor, this is going to make you feel _better, _not worse."

He let go of her wrist and harrumphed. "Fine. Drink it. See if I care when you can't get rid of the disgusting taste for the rest of the week."

She shook her head at his silliness and drank the medicine, murmuring appreciatively as she did so.

The Doctor frowned. "What's it taste like?"

Rose widened her eyes theatrically and hugged the bottle protectively to her chest. "Er...nothing..." she fibbed.

"Rose."

"_Banana_," she enunciated temptingly. "It's really, really nice," she told him seriously. She took a swig from the bottle. "In fact, I might just have this myself..."

"What! No! No, Rose, you can't! You can't drink medicine unless you're actually ill, you know the rules!" he cried, attempting to wrestle the bottle from her hands.

"I don't care, it's too _good,_" Rose teased, lifting the bottle high in the air so he couldn't reach.

He scrambled to his knees and tried to grab the bottle off of her...

...And Rose gave a great yelp as the contents was accidently tipped all over her hair and face in their playful struggle. "Gah! Doctor! You idiot, look what you've done!" she cried.

The Doctor sat back with an amused grin on his face. "Um...sorry?" he tried, not sounding apologetic in the least.

Rose wiped the back of her hand across her cheeks in a futile attempt at removing the sticky mixture. She looked forlornly at the empty bottle. "Now you don't have any left to drink to make yourself feel better. Are you happy?" she huffed.

He tried not to laugh. "Yes. Yes I am. I am very, _very _happy."

"I thought you'd like it, though," Rose protested. "I picked the banana flavoured one especially for you, knowing you wouldn't drink any of the others."

The Doctor's smile faded. "What, it actually _did _taste of banana?" he asked quickly.

"Yes!" she shot back, unimpressed. "What, you didn't believe me?"

"No! I thought you were just being kind and pretending so that I'd drink it!" He grabbed the bottle and peered inside. "Bugger, it really has all gone over you."

"Yep. Well done, Doctor," she said, clapping her hands sarcastically.

He squinted at her in contemplation.

"What?" she asked self-consciously, decidedly not knowing whether to like the way he was looking at her or not.

"Nothing," he replied instantly. There was a pause. "It's just...weeelll. I was just thinking...now that there's two of my favourite things put together in this very tempting way, would it be terribly impolite if I did this?" he asked.

Before she could voice a baffled reply as to what 'this' was, the Doctor seized her face in his hands and kissed her firmly on the lips.

Her hands gripped his arms in surprise and her eyes fluttered closed. She almost kissed him back, but he pulled away before she had a chance. He remained close, though, his mouth hovering over hers as he licked his lips, a small smile curving onto his face. "Mmm. Banana flavoured Rose..." he murmured. "Gorgeous."

Rose giggled. "You're so daft," she whispered, brushing his nose with hers affectionately. She cringed, then. "And right now, snotty. I've probably caught your cold, now; thanks, Doctor."

"It was worth it though, right?" he chuckled quietly.

"Oh, I dunno about that," she replied.

"You have banana medicine all over your face and neck..." the Doctor observed.

"I'd better clean that up, then, hadn't I?" she countered.

"Yeah," he whispered, his breath ghosting over her lips. "Would you like some help with that?"

"I'm not letting you lick my face like a dog, Doctor," she laughed softly.

"You'll let me kiss you like a Time Lord, though, right?" he asked hopefully.

"'Like a Time Lord?'" she repeated dubiously. "Did they even do the kissing thing?"

"Weeeelll. Sometimes. Occasionally..." he leant closer, their lips almost touching. "Under very. Important. Circumstances."

"Bit selfish of you though, Doctor...giving me all your germs..." she teased.

"We can buy some more medicine."

"And spend the week cuddled up in bed watching Disney films and _Friends_ re-runs feeling sorry for ourselves," she mused.

"You see? So many positives," he grinned. He liked the sound of her idea very, very much.

"Well then. You have put forward a good argument. I s'pose I can't say no. We can be ill together!"

"Just the way it should be," he beamed, and kissed her again.

**-x-**

_**A/N: Hope you enjoyed it :) **_


	28. When Pub Brawling Pays Off

_**A/N: Now, I wrote this awhile ago (and by that I mean...ooh, February? Ha. Where did all those months go? I swear time is running faster this year...) after A Who Down In Whoville prompted me the idea :) So, big thanks! Hope you like it xx**_

-x-

_**When Pub Brawling Pays Off**_

"I can't believe you've got us into this mess," sighed the Doctor dramatically.

"Right. 'Cos you don't get us into trouble three times a week as it is," Rose scoffed.

"Not for something as trivial as this!" he barked out indignantly, folding his arms.

"What do you call that time with Henry VIII, eh? When you got banged up in the Tower of London for being rude to him?"

"_He was trying to make you his new mistress," _the Doctor muttered in a low voice, seething at that particular memory.

"Exactly! You got jealous and almost punched him the face. Not so different to this."

"I was not _jealous," _he insisted, as if the idea was ridiculous. "I was just looking out for your welfare."

"I can look after myself," she huffed.

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Evidently."

There were a few moments of tense silence.

"Look, I'm sorry, alright?" Rose apologised, turning to face him. "She was just...you know...taking things too far. I could see you were really uncomfortable with it. She wasn't backing off when you asked her to."

"I'm over nine hundred years old, Rose. _I _can look after _my_self."

"Fine," she grumbled. "I was only trying to help."

"Well, that's the most unconvincing lie I've ever heard," he countered smugly.

"Fine! _I _was jealous. See? I can admit it. Which means I get the moral high ground here," she told him exasperatingly.

The Doctor hid his grin. "Moral high ground? You? You started a brawl in a pub. You got us arrested and thrown into this disgusting, dark, dirty prison cell. You got us sentenced to death. You got - "

Rose's shoulders slumped. "Okay, okay; I get it. I'm a horrible person," she admitted, biting her lip.

His eyes met hers and his expression softened. "Oh, now. I didn't say that," he said quietly. "In fact, you're the least horrible person I know."

A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth at the unexpected sort-of-compliment. "Thanks," she replied, just as quietly. "And I am sorry."

The Doctor didn't bother to hide his grin this time, deciding he'd had enough of teasing her. "It's okay," he chuckled, almost pulling her into a nice cuddle but deciding not to because she might've seen that as some sort...invitation, considering that evening's events. Which it actually _would_ have been, no doubt about it. His restraint was faltering just as much as hers. So, he couldn't risk that.

"It's really quite funny," he continued. "Do you know, nine hundred years and I've never been fought over in a pub before? Weeelll, I've never been fought over full stop. Weeeelll. I have. But not in a nice way. I've been fought over in terms of who out of these three groups of aliens got to kill me. But never who got to...well...uh..." he trailed off, not sure where he was going with that sentence. He cleared his throat and scratched the back of his neck uncomfortably.

Rose pursed her lips to hold in her giggle. "Yeah," she mumbled, averting her eyes from his and staring at the door.

"So!" the Doctor exclaimed loudly, breaking the awkward silence. "Fancy breaking out of jail again, Rose Tyler?" He leapt forwards suddenly, peering through the small hole at the top of the steel-bolted door, before spinning around to face Rose again. "Right, there's a guard at either end of the corridor, but the one to the left is dozing in and out of consciousness, lazy sod, so if we run quietly enough, we should be able to leg it past him before he can wake up and stop us. Good plan? Yes, I thought so. Right!"

He reached for his sonic screwdriver, which was usually located in his pocket. He paused, an expression of frustration taking over his face.

"Doctor?" Rose prompted, bringing his attention back to her. "They took it, remember?"

"Ah yes," the Doctor realised, begin to pace. "So...really, then...we...well, we could...oh dear. There's not much we can do to escape then, actually."

Rose shrugged. "We'll just have to wait until someone comes to bring us some food, yeah? Then we can make a run for it."

"How long will that take!" the Doctor complained, wrinkling his nose up.

"Well, considering it's the middle of the night, probably 'til morning," she answered, sitting down on the thin, holey mattress resting on a wooden ledge at the back of the cell. She presumed this was what constituted as a bed in a Uklilei prison. It was better than some of the beds she'd been forced to sleep in across the galaxy, so she wasn't about to complain; she just hoped it would hold her weight.

The Doctor sighed, and moved to sit down next to her.

Make that, she hoped it would hold both their weights.

"Yeah, you're probably right," he said. He leant back against the wall. "Well then. We're stuck here for a few hours. What shall we do?"

Rose looked at him wearily. "Dunno 'bout you, but after all that...brawling...I'm a bit tired. Think I'll have a nap, if that's alright?"

The Doctor pouted. "Great. So I'm going to have to sit here talking to myself all night then, am I?" he said begrudgingly. He really wished she didn't have to sleep so much. He felt like he missed out on so many hours of Rose Time due to her human, persistent need to sleep.

"No," she answered, and then she pointed to the floor. "You're gonna sit down there and talk to yourself all night."

She grinned innocently when he glared at her. "How is that fair?" he demanded. "It's rock hard and freezing cold, that floor!"

"You don't need to sleep; I do," Rose countered, yawning widely as if to demonstrate her point.

"Who says I don't?" the Doctor said then. "I could do with catching forty winks myself. Haven't done so for a while." Well, he said a while. He meant quite a long while, actually. Four weeks or so, in fact.

He'd been avoiding sleep ever since what he liked to call the _Irrationally Gorgeous Bikini Event_. It was rather astounding how vivid his dreams could get nowadays – nowadays meaning what he liked to call the _Since I Met Rose Days_, of course - and he wasn't quite prepared to risk it, ever since he'd caught sight of his best friend in the most ridiculously small red bikini _ever invented _on their trip to Hawaii 1994. However, he had to acknowledge now that he was in fact rather tired. If sleep-induced images of Rose Tyler's sunbathing body infiltrated his mind (like they weren't already...) then that was absolutely not his fault.

"News to me," Rose replied, bringing him out of his reverie.

He cleared his throat. "Come on, play fair. I wouldn't've thought you'd mind, anyway."

"Mind what?"

"Me sharing a bed with you," he grinned cheekily.

Rose opened her mouth, then closed it abruptly, not having a sufficient retort to that.

"Well, come on, shift over," he said, nudging her. "Plenty of room for two."

She sighed and obediently moved so that she was laying lengthways on the bed, on the side nearest the wall. The Doctor chuckled quietly at her put out expression, and lay down next to her, but he had to turn onto his side or risk falling off.

"Plenty of room for two?" Rose repeated, wrinkling her nose up as she also turned onto her side, so that he could shift further onto the bed. "Don't think so, Doctor."

His eyes were alight with mischief as he looked into hers. "Well, we're only gonna be sleeping. How much room do you need for that?" he smirked.

Rose suppressed a smile. "I like to stretch out across the whole bed, though," she informed him ruefully. "Can't very well do that here, can I?"

"Well, you could," he argued, swallowing thickly to try and dispel the rather alarmingly husky tone of voice he'd suddenly come out with. "Just don't hit me in the face with your elbow or something."

"But then I'd be half on top of you," she teased, starting to grin, her tongue poking out between her teeth.

"You can be fully on top of me if you like," he suggested before he could stop himself. His eyes widened along with hers when he realised what he'd just said out loud. He tried to backpedal for his life. "I mean, if you, you know, need more space, because, well, it doesn't, um, doesn't matter to me; I mean, I probably wouldn't even, uh, notice, if you, you know, were on top, of, of, of um, me..." He winced internally. Oh, he was such a _liar. _Of course he would bloody notice. He'd notice far too obviously, in fact.

Rose burst out laughing at his futile attempts at not making the situation more awkward. "I'm sure I'll make do just fine here on my side of the bed," she said, once her giggles had subsided.

"Right. Yes. Quite right," he murmured uncomfortably, rather wishing he'd kept his mouth shut and feeling very disheartened by her blatant refusal. The happiness that had previously been shining so brightly in his eyes was abruptly vanquished.

Rose noticed this, of course; perceptive as she was.

"Unless of course, your side is, um...lumpy or something," Rose suggested nervously.

His eyebrows drew together questioningly. "What do you mean?"

"Well, if, for instance, your side of the bed is uncomfortable, then you'd have to, you know...share my side. Or something."

He eyes lit back up when he realised what she might mean by that. "What are you suggesting? That_ I_ sleep on top of _you?"_

Rose flushed a little, but tried to keep her cool. She shrugged nonchalantly.

"So, are you more comfortable to lay on top of than this lumpy, old mattress, then?" he asked her, leaning ever so slightly closer. It occurred to him suddenly that he was probably close to leering inappropriately at her, and he desperately hoped she wouldn't find that off-putting.

"I should hope so," Rose giggled. "There's nothing lumpy or old about me, yet."

"No, there isn't," the Doctor agreed, exhaling roughly.

Her breath caught in her throat at the intense look he gave her. "Doctor?" she murmured tentatively.

"Yes, Rose?" he replied, and it came out as a whisper.

"Did you like it?" she asked curiously.

The Doctor felt his cheeks and neck flush, which he was totally unused to and thus felt very self-conscious about. "Like what?" he squeaked. Surely she couldn't have read his mind about the bikini thing, could she?

"Me getting jealous of that girl in the bar tonight," she clarified, biting her lip anxiously.

He smiled, almost relieved that that was what she meant. "What do you think?" he replied softly.

"Dunno. That's why I'm asking," she countered quickly.

He almost reached out his hand to her face, but stopped himself at the last second; instead, he satisfied his need to touch her by clasping their hands together tightly. His thumb stroked across the back of her hand. "What would you think of me if I said yes?" he asked quietly.

Her eyes widened, though almost imperceptibly. "Um. I...I would think...um..." she replied, stumbling over her words to try and find an answer.

"'Cos I did. Like it, I mean. I did like it when you got jealous," he admitted, staring at their joined hands rather than at her face. "When you...uh, staked your claim. So to speak."

"You...you did?" she croaked out, her throat suddenly dry.

"Yeah," he muttered. "What does that say about me?" he asked her, genuinely both curious and worried, as he looked back into her eyes.

She raised an eyebrow. "Well. Um. I dunno. I s'pose it means that you're the same as me then, 'cos when you got all possessive over me after Henry, er, said what he said...well, I quite enjoyed that."

The Doctor's eyebrow mirrored Rose's. "Possessive?" he sniffed disbelievingly.

"Yeah," Rose replied. "Possessive."

"Am I possessive?" he asked in a loud whisper, more to himself than her. He'd thought he'd been hiding it better. Obviously not. Oh dear.

"Yeah," she repeated. "Very." She saw that he looked very anxious about this, and, though embarrassed, she hastily mumbled, "It's okay, though. Like I said...I like that."

His frown smoothed out and he watched her blinking at him for a few moments, completely silent. Then, he admitted, "You were right, though. I was jealous of him."

She smiled. "Yeah, I know."

"He kissed you," the Doctor continued, a lump in his throat. Rose blushed and looked away. "You kissed him back."

"I didn't leave you, though. I didn't risk everything we have to save his life. I didn't invite him along to travel with us. I didn't get upset when I had to leave him. Granted, that's all mostly because I've seen the history books, seen the paintings and read the descriptions of what he looks like when he gets older, but still..." she mumbled.

With every word she spoke, the Doctor's chest constricted painfully and a big, ugly ball of regret expanded in the pit of his stomach. He understood what she was saying. He recognised what an idiot he had been. He could tell that as she spoke, her voice was wavering, and she was trying not to cry. He realised how hypocritical he was. How tactless. How _stupid._

He knew now how much he'd hurt her, with their experience on the fifty-first century spaceship and in seventeenth century Versailles. He'd apologised, as soon as Rose had come back from showing Mickey around the TARDIS, when they were alone together in the library. But that probably wasn't enough; he should've realised that. He'd spent every day since pretending that nothing had happened, taking her to all sorts of places to make her forget they'd ever met the uncrowned queen of France. They'd lost Mickey to the gingerbread house that was a parallel world, but he had wanted to go, so that was okay, and well, the Doctor and Rose, they still had each other, so it was back to normal and flying off together to visit Moscow and Pont Pont and Delfor Three and Elvis and Hawaii and Funfair XI. But none of it meant anything if she was still hurting, and he hated himself for that.

When Rose looked back at the Doctor, laughing weakly at her own joke – well, attempt at a joke - she was shocked at what she saw: his lips downturned, his jaw set, his eyes glistening. "Hey," she whispered, lifting her hand to his cheek to wipe a tear away with the pad of her thumb. "Are you okay?" She immediately felt guilty for bringing up Reinette, if this was the reaction she got. She left her hand at his cheek all the same. This appeared to be the right thing to do, though, as the Doctor then proceeded to rest his hand over hers to hold it there.

He blinked quickly to clear his vision and coughed gently to clear his throat. "Rose."

"Yeah?" she asked, trying not to sound nervous.

"I..." he floundered. "I'm sorry."

"What for?"

He closed his eyes briefly. "For being a fool."

"You're the cleverest man in the universe, Doctor. Or so you say," she whispered conspiringly, trying to coax him into a smile.

"No I'm not. Not about what matters, anyway. Not about what should be said, and done, and meant."

"I don't understand. What are you saying?"

"I don't think I can keep doing this. This stupid, _stupid _pretending that I've been doing for _oh, _so long."

"What pretending?"

"Pretending that I can ignore all...all _this_," he said, gesturing between them with his hand.

"Ignore _what?" _she asked confusedly.

"Us!" he exclaimed, frustrated when she still didn't seem to understand what he meant. He knew it was his own fault; this very conversation, a conversation that had been pending for a while, a conversation that he'd rehearsed over and over in his own head, was the thing that terrified him most about Rose Tyler, and he couldn't get his words out properly. He sighed. "Listen, I know I don't say this very often...weeelll. Actually, I've never said this at all, ever, so...so, I'm sorry for that, most of all." He took in a deep breath. "Fact is, I - "

A loud CLANK sound interrupted him.

The Doctor whipped his head around so fast that he almost toppled off the bed. Standing in the entrance to their cell was the stout, bearded prison warden, eying them suspiciously.

"Fraternisation is not permitted," he told them firmly.

Rose's eyes nearly popped out of her head. "_What?" _she exclaimed.

"Fraternisation?" repeated the Doctor, confused. "What do you mean?"

The prison warden appeared to address Rose, looking straight past the Doctor. "If the male cannot control himself, he shall be exported to another cell," he explained.

Her eyebrows rose to her hairline, and she looked at the Doctor for confirmation of what she thought she'd just heard.

The Doctor's head simply fell back onto the mattress, eyes closed in humiliation.

Rose swallowed and looked back at the prison guard. "When you say control himself...?"

"The male's heart beats have increased and there is a significant rise in the level of riladamine in his blood."

To this, the Doctor groaned out loud, covering his face with his arm.

Completely confused, Rose asked, "And riladamine is what exactly?"

"A hormone, somewhat relevant to his species. Although, of course, not often instigated, according to the legends..." answered the prison guard. The Doctor winced, knowing what was coming next. "...seeing as it's a _sexual _hormone."

The Doctor sat up straight as Rose gasped in shock. "I was just going to tell her how much I LOVE her, alright?" he burst out in annoyance.

Silence.

The Doctor gulped, belatedly noting that that was perhaps not the best thing to shout at a stranger before he'd even said the words to Rose herself.

He heard a tentative voice stutter behind him. "That was...that...that...that was what you were going to...say?"

Slowly, he turned to face her, tugging at his ear nervously. "Yes," he replied hoarsely. "A lot, is the answer. I love you a lot. Wait, well. No, it's...well, it's more than '_a lot_.' I can assure you of that. Um." He chuckled shakily. "It would appear that I'm not very good at this, but I think you can appreciate what I am trying to say."

Rose nodded dumbly, completely speechless.

The Doctor turned back to the prison warden. "If you're not going to let us go, could you leave, please?"

The man held himself firmer, more upright, standing his ground. He even folded his arms. "I'm sorry, I can't do that."

"Why not?"

"Because now the female's heart rate has accelerated, and _her _hormones are - "

" – right!" exclaimed the Doctor loudly, jumping up. "Then what exactly are you going to do? Just stand there?"

"If it is necessary," was his reply.

The Doctor let out a wail of frustration, and contemplated banging his head against the wall. But then, he felt a hand, a hand he knew well, Rose's hand, thank goodness, creep into his own. And then he felt her whisper before he heard it, sharp and tantalising against his neck, "_Run!"_

So, severely incapable of not doing what she said, like, ever, he sprinted past the bewildered prison guard, tugging Rose along behind him. They easily dodged the sleepy guard in the corridor, and ran as fast as they could for freedom.

Within minutes, they were out in the open air, hidden from view in a dimly lit alleyway to the side of the prison. Rose let go of his hand, leaning against the wall to try and catch her breath.

The Doctor watched her silently, wondering how they would go on from here.

Then, a slow smile spread its way across her face, and she stood up straight.

"Rose?" he murmured, still panting softly as he watched her advance towards him.

Instead of answering him, Rose flung her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly.

"You alright?" he mumbled into her hair, squeezing her waist.

"Yeah," she giggled breathlessly.

"You sound happy," he noted, unable to stop a smile forming on his lips even though he was still anxious about what would happen now.

"I am happy," she laughed against his neck. "Just escaped from jail, after all. That's a highlight of any night. Or at least, it would be. If I hadn't've had an even more exciting event happen, too."

The Doctor pulled back slightly to look at her questioningly. "And what's that?"

"Well. Let me think," she said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "I shared a tiny little bed with my best friend, who then told me that he loves me a lot - wait, no, more than a lot. So! I think all in all it's a pretty great night..."

"Yeah?" he urged, beaming hopefully.

"Yeah. And guess what?" she gasped teasingly.

"What's that?" he replied, his eyes dancing with anticipation.

"It's gonna get even better."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yep," she grinned. And then she stood up on her tiptoes and pressed a quick kiss to his lips.

When she pulled away, the Doctor gravitated towards her, mouth falling open, eyes still closed. Without opening his eyes, he complained, "Um, Rose. Where did your mouth go?"

She leant forwards and laughed into his chest.

"No, seriously; come back," he continued, before chuckling low in his throat. And then his hands slipped up her back and into her hair, tugging her head back to close the distance between their lips once more.

They stayed that way for an exceedingly long period of time, until the guards discovered their little hiding place, and promptly chased them all the way back to the TARDIS.

Behind the closed doors of their little blue box, however, the Time Lord and the human girl could fraternise all they liked.

Predictably, this was a _lot._

_._

**A/N: I'm going camping for a whole week (no internet...save me from this torture, please just save me!) so you won't hear from me for awhile :( It'll still be nice to hear from you, though, so please keep reviewing and I'll reply when I return :) Much love xxx**


	29. Confessions

_**A/N: Hey, I survived camping and thunder storms and power cuts and have returned :D Thanks to you all for your kind reviews and well-wishes while I've been away. Stuck as I was in a tent while it was raining one day, I went old-fashioned and wrote a lot with pen and paper XD Lots of what I wrote are just bits and bobs that need to be finished, but here's my first holiday gift I brought back for you ;) In this oneshot, Ten and Rose talk about a conversation they had from before he regenerated. Thus, a special appearance by Nine in a flashback scene x**_

_**-x-**_

**Confessions**

Watching Rose start to fall asleep against his shoulder as he finishes the book he's been reading to her on the library sofa, the Doctor decides that enough is enough; tonight, he'll tell her.

He strokes her arm gently and after a few more minutes of quiet contemplation, he finally gathers his courage to say, "Do you remember that night, a few weeks before I changed, when we had that massive argument over nothing?"

She lifts her head and blinks at him sleepily. "We had lots of arguments over nothing. Which night in particular?"

He swallows nervously and meets her gaze. "The one when you wore that insanely inappropriate outfit."

She leans back against his shoulder, giggling. "Oh yeah, I remember. What about it?"

"I nearly told you something that night. I didn't, because I thought it was too soon. I thought it might scare you away," he confesses, his voice low.

She stiffens. "Too soon? What's that then? We'd been travelling together for a year. Why would anything you say suddenly scare me away?" She hears him swallow thickly again and feels like she has butterflies flying around her insides. "Doctor?" she prompts, sitting up to face him.

He turns so that he's looking straight into her eyes. "Tell me what you remember about that night. About what we _talked_ about."

It's her turn to gulp audibly. "Why?"

"Just do it," he requests softly.

"But -"

"Rose."

She sighs. "Okay. Well..."

_**Flashback:**_

"It isn't about that!" he denies firmly.

"No?" she scoffs.

His eyes flash and his jaw clenches tightly. "No!"

"Then what is it about? I can't believe you! You go around, acting all high and mighty like the highest authority there is in the bloody universe - "

"I _am _the highest authority," he argues hotly.

"Not over _me, _you're not!" she shouts back. "What gives you the right to tell me what to do? You're not my _dad, _you're my friend!"

"You're on my ship! I'm the one ferrying you around everywhere and everywhen; you ought to follow my rules!"

"Well, I'm sorry for being such a bother, but you did _invite _me. And anyway, by now, I thought I was way more than just a _guest," _she spits out bitterly. She shrugs. "Guess I was wrong."

He glares at her fiercely. "You _are _more than just a guest. That's why I..." he trails off.

"That's why you what?" she repeats. "That's why you _what, _Doctor?"

"I just... I don't want you doing things like that. It's not fair."

"Not fair on who? And anyway, why do you even care?"

"Because I - " he cuts himself off and inhales sharply. "I just do."

She makes a noise of long-suffering frustration and storms towards him. "If you've got something else to say, then say it, Doctor," she demands.

He stares back at her unblinkingly. "Don't push me," he intones, his voice low and gravelly as he points an accusatory finger in her direction.

"Push you to what?" she retorts. "You have the patience of a saint. Nothing I ever say or do will ever break down your barriers, will it?"

His brow furrows at the resignation in her tone. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means you're a man who can't be pushed. Not by me, at least."

He tilts his head, looking at her in confusion. "I don't get what you're trying to say," he tells her honestly.

She opens her mouth to reply but thinks better of it, knowing her response will have consequences too great for her to handle. Instead, she says, "You'd never hurt me." She briefly wonders why she lets herself say it like she's setting him a challenge.

His eyes soften suddenly, but his voice is still gruff as he says, "Of course I wouldn't." His hand starts gravitating out towards hers. He almost takes it, but remembers just in time that he's supposed to be mad at her.

Except, he's only mad at her because of the way she makes him feel. And she doesn't even know that. She can't possibly know what's going through his mind, or why he's so angry with her.

And then he looks at her closely, really stares into her eyes, and he realises with a jolt of shock and anger at _himself _that she's got tears in them. "_Rose_," he rasps out.

"It's not you," she whispers quickly, realising he's realised she's upset. She looks away, blinking quickly.

His hand does reach for hers, then. He's unable to stop himself. "Rose, I'm sorry."

"I said, it's not _you," _she repeats. She meets his eyes again. "I'm not...I wasn't...you haven't upset me. I was just...just then, I was thinking about...about..." Her voice hitches and he squeezes her hand reassuringly.

"About what?" he panics. "What's happened?"

She sniffs, trying to stop herself from crying. "It was a long time ago."

He raises an eyebrow. "What was? You're only nineteen; it can't have been that long ago."

Her throat feels dry but she manages to carry on speaking. "I was sixteen when I dropped out of school, did I ever tell you that? I didn't get my A-levels." He nods briefly, and she continues, "It was stupid really, and Mum thought I should've stayed on for sixth form. But I just...there was this..." she trails off, sounding embarrassed.

"This what?" he prompts.

"_Boy," _she answers, sighing heavily. She expects some sort of sarcastic remark, but it doesn't come. He's still staring at her with the warmest gaze she's ever seen him have, urging her to open up to him. "He was an idiot, but I couldn't see that. He was in a band. He said he was gonna make it big. Get rich and famous and all that. Get me out of that estate and into some big place in America or whatever country he was dreaming of conquering the next week." She laughs self-depreciatingly. "And I believed him."

"You were very young," the Doctor murmurs. "It's understandable."

"Yeah, but I was so...I acted like I was so dependent on him. I left home and lived in a flat with him and it was...well, for about the first week I loved it, it was independent from Mum and new and exciting. Then the novelty wore off," she admits. She swallows thickly. "And he wasn't as great as I thought he was."

The Doctor's eyes flash darkly. "Did he hurt you?" he asks, his tone quite clear of what he's going to do to the boy if he finds him.

She shakes her head quickly. "No," she denies vehemently. "No."

He leans closer to her. "Are you sure?"

"Just, you know. Words. Nothing physical, not really."

"Not _really?" _he demands. "What's that mean?"

"Well, I s'pose what I mean is, he wasn't exactly..." she pauses, taking a steadying breath. She cringes at the fact she's telling the Doctor this even as she speaks, "Gentle."

His hearts freeze. "You mean, when...?"

"Yeah," she murmurs quietly. "I mean, I'm up for adventure as much as the next person, but when it's with someone you don't really want to be with, it kind of takes the fun out of it."

"What's his name?" he demands.

"It doesn't matter," she protests, trying to shake away her melancholy.

"It does to me."

"There's nothing you can do about it, so stop even thinking you can."

"There is something I can do about it," he counters harshly. He free hand clenches and she sees his intention written all over his face.

"Stop it," she whispers. "Don't reduce yourself to that."

He rolls his eyes. "Don't put me up on a pedestal, Rose Tyler. You know right well what I'm capable of."

"Yeah, but only when it's necessary!"

"He hurt you. That makes it necessary. What's his name?"

"Doctor, stop it, listen to yourself. It's in the past. I've half-forgotten it all. I only brought it up now because I thought..."

"What?"

She bites her lip and glances away shyly. "Thing is, with you, yeah, I give as good as I get. I'm always arguing right back, yeah? I stand up to you and it doesn't scare me."

"Yes," he answers.

"So I s'pose what I wanted to say was that, well, I've not always been this strong. I let him walk all over me."

"But you left him. That takes courage."

"S'pose. But then, see, Mickey was there, and he's so different. So completely different to Jimmy that I - " she pauses, well aware that she's accidently said his name aloud. The Doctor tilts his head, requesting for her to continue. She clears her throat. "That I became the strong one."

"Yeah, I kind of got that, from the way Ricky was clinging to your legs in fear that time."

"And you...well, you're..."

"Don't say I'm a mixture of both," he interrupts her urgently. "Don't you dare say that."

She frowns. "What -?"

"I'd never hurt you. _Never. _And I certainly wouldn't use you as a human shield or let you die for me. No. No way."

"I wasn't gonna say that," she tells him earnestly. "Not at all."

"Oh."

"I mean, yeah, you get angry at me, but I know you don't mean to. And I know you calm down soon enough anyway. Either that or go and have a good sulk."

"I do not _sulk, _Rose Tyler."

"Your anger is different, anyway. It's 'cos you're such a passionate person. I bet if you were - " she breaks off, blushing a delightful shade of pink.

His lips twitch slightly. "If I were what?"

She coughs, feeling awkward. "Nothing. Anyway - "

"No, go on," he interrupts, his smile growing. "Why are you blushing? What were you going to say?"

"_Nothing,_" she states firmly.

"Tell me," he persists, tugging on her hand. It pulls her closer and she flushes even more.

She sighs and looks at the floor, mumbling in a rush, "Ibetifyouwereroughit'dbeinafunway."

His eyes widen. "Sorry, didn't quite catch that. Did you just say, if I was _rough?"_

She lets go of his hand to fold her arms defensively. "What? It's just an observation of character. Like I said, you're passionate, a bit possessive. You're all...Northern, and...Well, you'd be like something out of _Lady Chatterley's Lover, _that's what I reckon." She cleared her throat. "Not that I've been thinking about it in any great depth. Anyway!"

He doesn't quite know how to respond. His mouth seems to be opening and closing but no words are coming forth. Well, he can't exactly inform her of whether or not that is true, seeing as he has yet to experience such an event in this body. He wonders if she realises that _technically _he is a virgin. Well, hang on, no, of course she doesn't – she doesn't know he can regenerate, so she can't possibly think that. And after their conversation in the hospital basement that time, she wouldn't still think that he doesn't, ahem, _dance_.

He stands there staring at her, speechless, and lets her carry on.

"Anyway, what I was going to say," she continues, as if she hasn't just said all what she's said about his 'passionate nature.' "Is something quite sweet, actually."

He's recovered enough to raise a sceptical eyebrow.

"I feel safer with you than I have my whole life," she tells him sincerely. "Is that weird?"

There are a few silent moments while he gets his jaw back working, and then he answers, "Sort of, yeah. Considering the amount of danger you run into every month you're with me."

"Yeah, but you look out for me. You look out for me better than anyone."

"Nah, I think Jackie holds that title, and quite rightly so. That slap she gives is enough to frighten anyone off."

"You're right, actually. After I'd gone home, Jimmy came looking for me. Mum kneed him where it hurts and he finally backed off. See? You don't need to do anything, Mum already got there first," she giggles quietly. "So anyway, apart from Mum, you're up there as top Rose-protector, alright?"

He smiles. "Good."

"_Therefore,_" she emphasises brightly. "You really don't have to worry about me going out dressed like this. Because you'll be there to step in if it is required. And Jack's asleep, so he's not even gonna be there, so you don't need to worry about him looking at me either. Alright? Yes? Good, good. Glad that's sorted. Let's go, then." She bounds towards the TARDIS doors like nothing's happened.

He gapes after her. How had she turned the conversation around, spinning it back to her earlier point, and played him like that? She's so mischievous, this cheeky little minx of his.

Ooh, he realises abruptly. Is that what she means by possessive?

"Come on then," she calls out to him. "Don't just stand there dribbling like a fool, come and take me dancing."

He scowls at her and gives chase, but it's more playful than menacing, and her giggles echo in the TARDIS long after they've left for some grotty thirty-fourth century club he's reluctantly let her talk him into taking her to.

_**Flashback ends.**_

"I still can't believe you actually came to a nightclub with me," she laughs quietly at the memory.

"Well I wasn't going to let you loose in that sort of environment in that sort of skirt without me on hand to 'step in if required,' as you artfully put it, was I?" he counters.

"Why did you want to talk about that night, now?"

"Two reasons, really," he ponders aloud. He tugs his ear nervously. "Firstly, what I wanted to say to you at the time but didn't...I need to tell you now. And secondly, what I want to ask you, which sort of relates back to that night."

"Well go on then. Say and ask away," she prompts, tucking a loose strand of her hair behind her ear and settling herself into the sofa comfortably for a revelation.

He takes in a deep breath. "Can I do the second thing first?"

She rolls her eyes. "If you like, just get on with it."

"Right. Right, yes. Um. Okay. This is going to sound very...spontaneous and probably slightly odd, but..."

"Doctor, spit it out."

"You said, back then, that you thought, because of your 'character observation,' that I'd be...you know..." he pauses, watching her eyes widen and cheeks tinge pink once more. "So, now, yeah? Now I've changed...what would you assume now?"

She is silent. He tilts his head forward. "Rose?"

She blinks. "Are you seriously asking me to answer that?"

His brow furrows. "Yes. Why not? You said it before. Indulge me."

She swallows hard. "Right. Well. You're...you're still passionate..."

"Yeah?"

"Yes," she asserts firmly. "And you're very hyperactive."

"Right."

"And you're a bit more..." she flounders.

"What?"

She glances away. "Romantic, I s'pose. I mean, that's how I imagine you'd be, if we were, you know. Together. I think you'd be quite romantic."

She chances a look back at him and is surprised as she notes that he looks quite pleased.

"And I think you'd be giggly."

"_Giggly?" _he exclaims, his pleased look dissolving.

"Yeah," she laughs. "More playful, definitely. You're really enthusiastic and curious and you like exploring unchartered territory even more, nowadays. Playful and adventurous, that's you."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Right." He wets his bottom lip thoughtfully. Rose notices.

"And you'd be super-talented with your tongue," she blurts out, before slapping her hand over her mouth.

His grin almost splits his face, it's so wide. "What did you just say?" he asks her, sounding delighted.

"Nothing!" Her face is bright red, now.

"You've been thinking about my _tongue?"_

"_No!" _she insists. "No, of course I haven't!"

"You've been thinking about my tongue in relation to _dancing?" _

"No! Stop it! I just...it slipped out, I didn't mean to say it! It came from nowhere, I swear. You were just...licking your lip and it came out of my mouth before I even realised the thought had formed, alright? I didn't mean it."

He leans closer. "I think you did mean it."

"I didn't," she shakes her head resolutely, but her insistence is weaker this time, because his mouth is about three inches closer than it was when she was denying it just now.

"Well, that's a shame, then," he teases. "'Cos if you don't mean it, then I suppose you'll never know, will you?"

Her eyes widen immeasurably. "What's _that _supposed to mean!"

He shrugs evasively. "Well, new, new body, this. Don't know anything about it, myself. Not in that way. Weeellll, I mean, not with another person...weelll, anyway, don't need to go there." He coughs awkwardly, immensely embarrassed about what he might have just said out loud. "I just thought you could help me discover...things."

"Really?" she squeaks.

"Mmhmm. I regret that I never found out, last time."

"You never..." she trails off.

"Well, let's face it, who would I have discovered...things...with last time, if not you?"

"I...I don't know, I just...wait, you wanted to 'discover things' with me, back then?"

He squints at her in confusion. "Okay, so I thought I was really embarrassingly obvious about that. Evidently not. That's...good."

"Good?"

"Yeah...I thought maybe you thought I was too..."

"Too what?"

"I dunno, but...well. I'd hate to think you thought I was, you know, _leering _at you or anything."

"_Leering?" _she repeats, her volume increasing. "You could've told me!"

"Told you what?"

"That you wanted that!"

"Well, I didn't think you'd want me to. Might make things awkward. Your friendship means everything to me, Rose; I didn't want to jeopardise that."

"But you're telling me now," she points out.

"Yeah, but I thought maybe this time around you'd be more inclined, because, you know, I'm more your type now."

"Are you _kidding _me?" she exclaims, grabbing him by the shoulders. "I was flipping dreaming about you being something out of a D.H. Lawrence novel, and you thought I didn't _want you?"_

"You said you hadn't been thinking in any great depth about it!"

"I was lying, you idiot!" she laughs loudly, shaking his shoulders. "I can't believe you thought that I was just making an objective observation!"

"Weeellll," he drawls, scratching his neck in embarrassment. "I've never been very good at reading women."

She rolls her eyes and pushes him backwards a bit so that she can climb onto his lap. "That more clear for you?" she asks innocently, straddling him whilst yanking him closer by his tie.

He stares at her. "Um. Yes?" he murmurs. His gaze drops to her lips.

"Are you seriously telling me that all this time we've been together without having sex has just been because of a mutual misunderstanding of each other's intentions?"

"Yeah...I suppose so," he answers, smiling up at her sheepishly.

"Okay," she exhales roughly. "This needs to be rectified pretty much instantly."

"I agree," he grins in relief. He finally lets his hands crawl up to her hips. "But first, I need to tell you that thing I've almost told you every day but have been too cowardly to actually do so."

She raises her eyebrows. "I thought that was it."

"What was?"

"That you want us to..._dance. _Together._"_

"Oh! Oh, no, no. No, I hadn't even really hoped for that to arise in this conversation. Weeelll, that's a lie, of course I hoped, I always _hope. _But I was actually going to simply tell you one very, very scary thing."

"Scary?" she frowns.

"Yep. Very, extremely scary."

"And what's that?"

"Rose Tyler," he breathes out reverently.

"Yeah?" she replies, her heart beating faster in anticipation.

He drops his voice to a whisper to tell her. "I love you."

She beams down at him, and her hands wander to run through his hair, ruffling it madly. She doesn't break her gaze from his. After a few moments of deliciously intense silence, she whispers back, "Love you too."

"Yeah?" he asks hopefully.

"Yes," she assures him warmly. "I loved you before too, Doctor."

And then she shows him just how much.


	30. It's Different, With You

**It's Different, With You**

**-x-**

"Rose...can I ask you a few questions?" asked the Doctor, coming into the console room. He'd evidently just got out of the shower, as he was barefoot, towel-drying his hair, and clad only in his trousers and shirt, with no tie or jacket.

Rose looked up from her magazine and grinned at him, mainly because she always did, but partly because he looked absolutely adorable at that moment. He also looked very confused. "Yeah, sure. What's up?"

He gulped. "Okay. Well. I was just, let's say...pondering...in the shower, when - "

"Pondering in the shower?" she repeated, arching an eyebrow.

"Yes," he nodded quickly. "The shower is an excellent place to...ponder...Anyway! So there I was, _pondering, _when something suddenly occurred to me."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," he agreed. He cleared his throat and leant against the console in front of where she was lounging on the jumpseat. "See, the thing is, I've...um. Well, I've _danced, _in the past, yeah?" He gestured with a waggle of his eyebrows to make sure she gathered his meaning. She did. He meant sex. "I mean, not often, but...occasionally. I even got married, you know! Weeelll, to be fair, it was an arranged marriage, but still. Anyway...And I've certainly kissed or have been kissed _by _a fair few ladies in my life..."

Rose swallowed hard. "Right...?"

"For instance, there was Grace in San Francisco, that was quite nice, and...well, that recent event of which we do not talk about and pretend never happened because I'm still very sorry, Rose, for doing that..." he said hurriedly.

She waved away his apology and said, "Doctor, your point?"

"My point? Ah yes. Yes, I do have a point here somewhere. What I'm trying to say is...well. I've been in...situations...before wherein there's been an element of, uh..." he floundered for the right word.

Rose helped him out. "Attraction? Pleasure?" she prompted, stifling her giggles.

Catching her eye, her gleaming, mischievous gaze, he pulled a face at her and threw his towel in her direction. She did giggle then.

"Well anyway," he said, tugging on his ear. "My point is, you and I have never..._danced..._and we've never even kissed, not properly, not with...you know..._intent."_

Her eyes widened. "And...?"

"_And, _that's why I'm confused, that's why I'm asking for help, you see. Because even though we've never, ahem, gone further than the mostly platonic sort of hugging and hand-holding, I..."

"You...?" she urged, sitting up straight, her breath coming a little quicker in anticipation.

"I...ponder," he began thoughtfully. "About...about you. You and me. I..." he trailed off for a moment, feeling flustered under her questioning gaze. "I feel...I feel things." He winced. "Oh, I'm rubbish at this." He looked at her helplessly. "I feel things, Rose. You make me feel things. Things I probably shouldn't. Definitely shouldn't."

She raised her eyebrows. "What sort of things?"

"Well, I...don't think I should say out loud," he muttered.

Her breath hitched. "Why's that?"

"Because you might slap me," he retorted, as if it was obvious.

She frowned. "I might not." There was a pause. "I might be flattered," she suggested quietly.

"Flattered? To know that I can't get you out of my head?" he replied dubiously.

Rose rolled her eyes. He could be so thick sometimes. "Well, obviously. Any girl would be."

"Even if," he started, his voice dropping lower. "Even if the thoughts I think often become..." He paused, searching her eyes. He hoped he saw excitement in them, not revulsion, and continued, "Graphic."

She swallowed thickly and crossed her legs. "What sort of graphic?" she murmured huskily.

"Naked sort of graphic," he replied.

Their eyes were locked on one another's and she murmured, still a little disbelievingly, "You've imagined me naked."

His Adam's apple bobbed nervously as he swallowed. "Yes," he admitted, almost-silently.

Rose felt a bit light-headed, and rested her hands either side of her on the jumpseat to keep herself upright. "You...fantasise?"

Another swallow. A quiet, "Yes."

"Do you...do you..." she struggled to ask him her question, blushing bright red as she finally said, "Do you do anything else, while you're...fantasising?"

His eyes widened. His cheeks turned a bit pink. He hesitated, but didn't break her gaze. "Maybe," he squeaked out uncertainly.

"Oh my god," Rose mumbled. She pursed her lips to hold back her sudden compulsion to laugh.

He shifted awkwardly. "Look, I'm really...sorry, I..." He closed his eyes, feeling incredibly embarrassed, and scratched the back of his neck. "I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable, I don't want to ruin things, I just...I just need to know why I feel like this, why I feel the need to...do that, why I'm so..."

"Doctor, it's alright," she reassured him. He opened his eyes and she saw his hopeful look. "I'm just surprised, that's all. Didn't think high and mighty Time Lords did that sort of thing..." She couldn't hold it in, then. She snorted in her amusement and collapsed into giggles.

He groaned. "Rose, please don't laugh!"

"Sorry," she giggled. "It's just...wait, how long have you felt like this? How long have you been...?"

"Well. Well, um. Well, it hasn't been - "

"Do you reckon it's some sort of...I dunno, maybe you've inhaled some alien aphrodisiac?" she suggested, thinking it over, assuming there had to be some sort of ulterior explanation for this. "Anywhere we've visited recently with plants or such that make you go a bit...randy?"

"Ah."

"What? There is?"

"No, no. No. That was just an 'ah' as in, 'ah, she doesn't get it."

"What do you mean?"

"You. You don't get it." He sighed, rubbing his eyes wearily. "Thing is Rose, what I was going to say before you interrupted me with your theorising, was it hasn't been just recently."

"Oh." She bit her lip thoughtfully.

The Doctor suppressed the urge to help her out with that.

"Well, maybe...is it since you regenerated? Maybe, because you kissed the vortex out of me, it left an imprint or something on the new you -"

"_Rose."_

"What?"

"I've felt this way for a _very long time."_

She couldn't help but grin. "Right. So this is just...you, then? No outside force involved?"

"I would hope not," he retorted indignantly.

"Well then."

He swallowed. "Well then what?"

"Sounds like you're attracted to me." Her eyes twinkled dangerously at him.

"Well, obviously. Who wouldn't be?"

She smiled. "You don't usually..."

"Voice my compliments to you? You're right, I don't. But I can assure you, I compliment you rather a lot."

"In your head?"

"Yep."

"Like what?"

He sniffed nonchalantly. "Stuff that's either too romantic or too...private...to say out loud in polite conversation."

"Nice to know."

"Is it?"

"Yes," she assured him. "Very nice to know."

"Right." He paused. "So...what do you propose I do about this problem, then?"

"What problem?"

"My problem of thinking about you in a variety of inappropriate ways?"

"You think it's a problem?"

"Don't you?"

"Doesn't have to be."

"Doesn't it?"

"Nope."

His hearts beat fiercely against his chest. "So...you ever felt like this?"

"Like...?"

"Like you could just...do unspeakable things to another person anywhere, anywhen, damn the consequences, damn all the people around."

"Oh. Well. Yes."

"And what did you do about it?"

"Haven't done anything about it yet," she replied steadily.

He gulped. "No?"

"Nope."

"May I ask...who, exactly, is the...object of your..."

"Fantasies?"

"Mmm."

"Well, I'd've thought that would be easy to guess."

"I hope...I hope that who I want you to be thinking about...in that way...is who you actually do think about...in that way...but..." He squinted at her, evidently assessing the probability of his hopes coming to fruition. "If you still, well, if you've _ever, _at all...done so...I'm not...certain."

"I always have and always will," she answered simply.

"Hmm?"

"I always have," she repeated slowly, uncrossing her legs and standing up. "And I always will. Whatever he looks like. Because though he's changed, he's still the same man, right? Just like I've changed, but I'm still Rose Tyler." She paused, and took a step closer to him, giving him a cheeky grin. "I'm still the girl you fancy. Although maybe not so much a girl now, more of a - "

"Woman," the Doctor finished for her, his voice low and dark and absolutely gorgeous.

"Yeah," she breathed out roughly, stepping even closer to him. There was barely an inch between them now. His head was tilted down to face hers, their hot breath mingling.

His eyes travelled down from hers and he first looked at her body, then the space between hers and his. "Rose," he murmured.

"Doctor," she shot back, in the same tempting, admiring tone.

"I've never even touched you," he whispered, marvelling at their situation. "Not like I want to. Not like I've dreamt of doing. But you make me feel...so..." he trailed off, unable to vocalise it sufficiently.

Rose didn't answer this time, but she placed her hand over his, where it was hovering over her waist, and pressed downwards so that he had his palm to her hip. He instantly tightened his hold, pulling her slightly towards him without even realising. They stared into each other's eyes, somehow daring each other to be the next one to do something, to make a move. Rose took up the challenge once more and grabbed his other hand, guiding it to the hem of her shirt. His fingertips caressed her stomach beneath it gently, before journeying further up, skirting just short of the underwire of her bra.

"Doctor," she prompted, raising herself up on tiptoes, trying to entice him into kissing her.

"One more thing," he whispered. "Then I'll kiss you, I promise." His eyes twinkled at her merrily and she nodded, impatient. "All this," he started. "All this feeling and wanting and dreaming...it's so much _more, _it's so...intense. I've never felt anything like it...so...is that because..."

"Because what?" she asked.

He swallowed hard, then let out a shaky breath. "Rose."

"Yeah?"

"Are we in love with each other?" he asked her softly.

She smiled slowly. "Course we are."

He smiled back and let out a sigh of relief. "Thought so." And then he kept his promise and let his lips descend on hers.


	31. The Kiss

_**The Kiss**_

The kiss came from nowhere.

One minute, they were walking through a marketplace on a planet named Kazta as normal (i.e. holding hands and giggling.)

The next, he'd said her name to prompt her to look up at him, then bent his head down towards her and kissed her firmly on the lips.

She'd been too surprised to respond, and her surprise grew exponentially in the moments after he withdrew his mouth and pretended as though nothing out of the ordinary had occurred.

She replayed their conversation in her head to assess whether she should've had some sort of clue as to what his following action would've been –

"_You know, you humans are an interesting lot. A colony come to Kazta in the forty-third century. And what do you think they do? Introduce innovative industrial ideas – ooh, I like that alliteration, did you hear that? – or build buildings of...er, brick – damn, that one's rubbish...but anyway, my point is, they don't bring any of their culture to Kazta except one thing."_

"_That's good though, isn't it? I know certain countries in the Middle East are getting more Westernised and a lot of people see that as wrong, so humans shouldn't impose their culture on these people, right?"_

_The Doctor smiled. "You're right, of course. It's just odd, because really, humans _do_ impose their cultures on a lot of planets in the future. But come on, back to my point. Guess what it is that they do, the colony of brilliant humans who arrive here!"_

_Rose shrugged. "No idea. Just tell me."_

"_Chips! Chips! They build a chip shop! Isn't that just...fascinating?" he enthused, swinging their hands between them._

_She giggled brightly. "Yeah, it is. But we do make 'em good."_

"_Oh yes, definitely," he agreed. There was a brief, companionable silence. Then, "Rose?"_

_And that was when it had happened – BAM; he kissed her._

She didn't reckon she could pinpoint why he'd done so. Their conversation had been ordinary and casual. His kiss had been insistent and very, very random.

Why on Earth – or rather, Kazta – did he decide to spring a kiss upon her now, of all times?

She had previously imagined that she'd probably only ever get a snog off him if it was the very end of the universe and they were about to die or something.

So this postulation begged the question –

"Doctor?"

"Yeah?"

"Is the universe about to implode?"

"Nope," he replied cheerfully, popping the 'p.'

Oh. That theory went out the proverbial window, then.

"Doctor?"

"Yeah?" He looked down at her, his eyes warm and somewhat mischievous.

He was up to something, then – some sort of elaborate game. That must have been it.

"Why did you kiss me just now?" she asked calmly, keeping her voice steady.

He shrugged nonchalantly and squeezed her hand. "Felt like it," he answered, as if it were no big deal. She must have looked bewildered by this because suddenly his brows drew together worriedly. "You didn't mind, did you?" he asked her quickly.

She opened and closed her mouth for a few moments. His frown deepened, and she hastily cleared her throat to find the words to reassure him. "No, I, er...I didn't mind."

He beamed at her. "Good. 'Cos I'd like to do it again," he informed her quietly.

"When?" she asked, feeling a bit breathless with anticipation.

"Well, now, actually," he answered, and sought out her lips again, drawing them both to a stop in the middle of eager shoppers and busy stall-holders.

This time, seeing as she'd had a bit of prior notice, Rose most definitely kissed back.

(The Doctor made a small noise of approval of this fact in the back of his throat. It may or may not have been a moan.)

She let go of his hand to run both of hers through his hair.

(And that, that was definitely a moan.)

The Doctor seized hold of her hips and dragged her closer, keeping them pressed against one another as their kiss deepened.

However, they both pulled back sheepishly, breaking off their snog, when a chorus of wolf-whistles and 'oh, get a room!' comments surrounded them. Giggling, Rose bit her lip bashfully and watched the Doctor's awareness of the situation kick in.

"I think...I think that lad over there has the right idea, Rose," he said in a low, gravelly voice.

She arched an eyebrow. "What's that then?"

"Shall we...do you want...shall we find some sort of room?" he suggested, half-excited, half-nervous.

Her eyes widened. It must be Christmas somewhere, she decided. A slow, beautiful smile soon lit up her face. "Let's go home," she suggested, nodding in the direction of where they'd parked the TARDIS. She grabbed his hand and playfully whispered, "Run!"

He grinned, then did just that.

Eventually, the TARDIS came into sight, and they both laughed like school children as they raced to it. Rose hurriedly got out her key and started working the lock.

Which was unusually hard to do today, because for some reason, it was entirely necessary for the Doctor to press his front against her back and wrap his arms around her waist from behind. It was completely distracting.

As soon as the door opened, he gently pushed her inside and closed it firmly behind him, leaning against it. They looked at each other. Both looked a bit flushed and their eyes had definitely darkened in the last couple of minutes. They swallowed thickly, the air filled with a tension that both of them knew they'd be resolving pretty soon.

"Why now?" she murmured, needing to know.

"Why not?" he whispered back.

"Will you regret this?"

"Never."

"Are you sure?"

"Completely."

They both took a step forward. "But why now?" she persisted.

"Because I - " he swallowed the words and changed his mind. He couldn't tell her yet. He was too scared of what it meant, of what it would mean for her. "You're – I..."

"Yeah?" she urged him to finish.

"Well." He cleared his throat. "You're gorgeous," he admitted on an exhale of breath, starting to chuckle. "I've wanted - " He shook his head at himself, unable to get the words he wanted to say out. He took a deep breath. "It was such a random moment, but it was so perfect, Rose. Walking together, laughing, exploring with your hand in mine. I couldn't resist." He paused, took a step closer. His voice lowered. "I can't resist."

Rose smiled, and reached out her hand, splaying across his chest between his hearts. "Then don't," she said simply.

Her words were all the permission or encouragement he needed, for he instantly wrapped his arms around her and started kissing her again. Her hands came up between them to pull at his shoulders, drawing him closer. Then she eased out of the kiss and whispered in his ear, "Let's get that room."


	32. The Words

**_The Words_**

As Rose dozed, he stroked his hand up and down her back, and whispered, "When you're with me, how do you feel?"

"When I'm with you?" she mumbled into the pillow. She lifted her head slightly and gave him a naughty grin. "Or when I'm _with _you?"

The Doctor chuckled and leant closer, giving her an affectionate peck on the nose. "Well, I meant that first one, but you can tell me about the second, too, if you like..."

She rolled onto her side to face him more comfortably, and his arm slipped around her waist. "Where's all this come from?" she asked softly, lifting her hand to stroke his sideburn.

He shrugged a shoulder. "I just want to know if we...feel the same things," he murmured, and then he looked embarrassed he'd said it and glanced away from her.

Rose smiled mischievously. "Well, why don't you tell me what _you _feel, and I'll see if they match up?"

"Ah, no," he disagreed, laughing shakily. "I asked you first, for that exact purpose."

"But Doctor - "

"Rose, please," he interrupted, and as she looked into his eyes she was astounded to see he looked almost..._scared._

"Are you really that blind that you don't know?" she asked gently.

He swallowed hard. Rose shifted closer.

"Doctor?" she prompted.

"It's not like I can read your mind from all the way over here," he countered quietly. "How am I supposed to know?"

"Let me think," she retorted sarcastically. "The way I act when I'm with you?"

"But you're human."

"Yeah, so?" she replied, a bit defensively.

"No, I just mean..." he trailed off and sighed, closing his eyes. "I just mean, I don't know what it's like for humans." He cleared his throat slightly. "I don't know if it's the same."

Rose poked his foot with hers. "Please don't worry," she said. "You've got nothing to worry about."

He opened his eyes. "Yeah, but if you don't tell me, how will I ever know how you feel?"

"And vice versa," she pointed out.

"I can't describe it," he mumbled nervously. "I don't know how to...well, I don't know how to go about this."

"Go about what?"

"Having a relationship with you."

"Just go with the flow," she dismissed with a light-hearted smile, internally thrilled that he wanted to be with her properly. Like a _couple. _She'd hoped for this, but never thought it would come true.

"But what if..."

"What if what?"

He tilted his head towards hers on the pillow they seemed to be sharing at that moment, so close that his nose brushed hers. "What if you leave me before I get the chance to show you?"

"Firstly, I'm never gonna leave you," Rose assured him firmly. She was delighted to see his expression relax somewhat. "Secondly...show me what?"

"What you mean to me," he answered.

"Can't you just..." she started, flinging her leg over his and arching her eyebrow. "...show me now?"

"That's not enough," he protested. "I'll need years and years and years of showing you the most wonderful, beautiful things in the universe for it to even come close to how I feel about you."

She smiled warmly, touched by his words. "You're quite sweet sometimes," she murmured. "Never noticed that before."

"Weelll," he drawled. "That's my point, see. Neither of us can tell what the other's thinking."

"Because you won't _tell _me!" she replied laughingly.

"Because, as I've already said, it's not enough."

"So?"

"What do you mean, so?"

"Loads of people have to just...be content with the words, Doctor. They have to rely on the English language or whatever to express what they feel, even if they feel it's not remotely near what they really mean. A man might whisper to his fiancé how beautiful she looks once she's walked down the aisle to stand by his side, but he doesn't mean that. He means that she's so much better than _everything _else in the world, to him, and - "

The Doctor cut her off, kissing her insistently on the lips. "You're right," he breathed roughly, when he pulled back. "And I..." he trailed off for a second, swallowing past the lump in his throat. "I love you. But it's -"

"More than that, yes," she finished for him. "I know." She wrapped an arm around him and drew herself closer to his body. "I love you too."


	33. The Spa Break

_**The Spa Break the Doctor Most Definitely Enjoyed**_

It was a random Tuesday on the TARDIS when the Doctor, upon seeing a knackered Rose stumble into the console room after a night of restless sleep, decided to treat her to a spa break at a luxury hotel on the planet Belliso. She'd squealed in delight and turned her beautiful smile on him and he silently congratulated himself on his amazing idea. He set the coordinates and off they went.

When they arrived in the sleek hotel foyer, they were told they'd have to fill in a questionnaire. The Doctor gave it a cursory glance, but whined, "Oh, do I have to?"

The receptionist – tall and green and slightly scary-looking – nodded. "Yes, Sir. I'm afraid both of you must do so."

He huffed and gave Rose an apologetic look. "Come on then, let's get this over with."

"It won't take too long," Rose dismissed, patting his arm. "Stop moaning."

The Doctor huffed again and took the two forms and two pens over to the reception area, sitting down on a big, leather – or not-leather, depending on whether they had leather on this planet – sofa. They both started filling in the forms in silence.

The Doctor's went as follows:

_Name: The Doctor_

_Age: 901. Not that it's any of your business._

_Species: Time Lord._

_Home Planet: Gallifrey. It's gone now. Thanks for reminding me._

_Occupation: Traveller of Time and Space._

_Current Residence: The TARDIS._

_Marital Status:_

_Likes: Rose Tyler, bananas, and little shops._

_Dislikes: Daleks, pears, and hospitals. Oh, and cats – when you've been chased by one in a nun's wimple, it kind of puts you off them._

_Allergies: Aspirin. Boring people._

_Favourite colour: TARDIS blue and pink and yellow._

_Favourite music: That song Rose sings in the shower._

_Favourite planet: Earth._

_Any Other Vital Information: Oncoming Storm. Hates wrong-doers. No second chances kind of guy. You hurt Rose; no power on Earth or Other will stop me from finding you._

"Um, Doctor," Rose began, peering over his shoulder. "I don't think you were supposed to get so aggressive and angsty."

He sniffed haughtily. "I just thought that if someone else gets hold of this potentially damaging information regarding me – look, I had to write down that I'm allergic to aspirin! – then they should know that I'm completely capable of getting very, very angry."

"Yeah, but Doctor," she started to point out. "Now, if someone wanted to hurt me or whoever else, then they know they'd have to poison you with aspirin first."

His eyebrows drew together. "Ah." There was a pause. Rose grinned triumphantly. "Oh well!" he continued brightly. "I'm sure no one here will try to harm us!"

Rose rolled her eyes. "Now you've done it," she muttered. "Gone and jinxed our little holiday now, you have."

"Nah, course not," he protested. He reached for her questionnaire. "Let's have a look, then."

"No!" she exclaimed, snatching it away from him.

He looked aghast. "What? Why not?"

She shrugged. "Private, isn't it?"

"You read mine! Besides, I know everything about you," he protested.

"Fine!" she sighed, giving it to him. "If it means that much to you."

He smiled and read it aloud, "Name, Rose Tyler. Age, Twenty, Species, Human. Home planet, Earth. Current residence, the TARDIS. Occupation, Time Traveller – nice," he approved. Then his eyes widened. "Marital status, 'it's complicated'?" he demanded. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Rose's cheeks flushed a little. "Well, why do they wanna know that, eh? Don't want them trying to match-make me with someone, so I couldn't put single. But I'm not married, so I couldn't lie, either."

"Oh," he mumbled.

"What do you mean, 'oh?'" she asked, recognising his despondent tone instantly. "You left your one for that blank, anyway!"

"Well, yes," he said. "'Cos I wanted to see what you put first."

"What would it matter what I put?"

He glanced away, sniffing nonchalantly. "No reason."

"Doctor?" she prompted.

"Nothing, it doesn't matter," he insisted.

"Doctor," she said sternly. "Tell me now, 'cos I don't want you sulking all holiday."

"Fine!" he exclaimed in frustration. "I thought maybe – but – but, I was wrong, obviously, I - "

"Doctor, spit it out."

"Well. I'm not married. But I wouldn't exactly class myself as available, either," he said quickly.

"Okay, so what's that got to do with me?"

He stared at her, saw she didn't remotely get what he was trying to tell her, and promptly gave up trying to be elusive about it.

"I feel pretty attached to _you, _to be honest," he admitted, swallowing thickly but not letting himself break her gaze.

Her eyes widened and she let out a gasp of realisation. Everything seemed to go very quiet and still, because he could hear his own hearts beating rather fast.

"But..." she started, her throat dry. "But we're not a couple?" she said, and it sounded sort of like a question, because maybe it was.

"We're not _not _a couple either though, are we," he pointed out quietly.

Her breathing started to speed up. He noticed.

"Aren't we?"

"No," he answered definitively. After all, though they had never established what it meant with words, in essence they were constantly as close as two people could possibly get. Well. No, okay. Apart from that certain...er, activity...that would make them even closer. But he was really trying not to think about that right now.

"Oh," she whispered.

"Don't you..." He bit his lip nervously. "Don't you think so?"

"I...pretend not to think about it," she admitted. "I thought you didn't see anything...more than friendly about it."

"Rose, I - "

"_Ahem," _coughed the receptionist, standing as he was over them. "Have you completed the forms yet?"

The Doctor reluctantly tore his gaze away from Rose and looked at the man. Alien. Thing that wasn't Rose. "Not quite. Give us a few moments."

The alien rolled his eyes and turned around as requested.

The Doctor looked back at Rose, who was smiling. He sighed in relief. "You're smiling, that's good. Means you don't want to throw something at me."

"Oh, I wouldn't say that," she replied, and both of them were startled at how seductive her voice came out. She hastily cleared her throat.

"And...what would that be?" he squeaked.

She blushed, but carried through, "Myself, obviously."

"Oh." He felt suddenly light-headed. "_Rose_," he complained.

"What?"

"I was trying not to think about that. You've undone all my hard work, now."

She smothered a giggle with her hand. "So, um...what are you gonna write on your form, for marital status?"

He looked down at it, then back at her, in contemplation. Then, he smiled that smile he smiled when he had a secret, and filled it in.

Rose frowned. "Tell me, then."

"Nope," he said, shaking his head, mischief written all over his face. When he saw her ready herself to pounce and snatch it from him to see, he quickly grabbed her form too, jumped up and practically ran to the front desk, handing them both in.

Rose folded her arms crossly. "That was unfair."

He turned around and leant against the counter, watching her with a grin. "Come here," he told her.

She reached the desk just as the receptionist said, "Well, it appears the Honeymoon Suite is available, Sir, so here is your keycard. Have a lovely stay with us, Sir, Madam."

Rose gaped at him. The Doctor chuckled beside her, and gripped her elbow gently, steering her towards the lifts. "Weelll, might as well utilise the very best of the facilities," he told her. "And the Honeymoon Suite happens to have a private Jacuzzi. Couldn't pass that up. I thought that, well, what the hell - we'll just have to pretend we've just got married," he shrugged, smirking at her wide eyes. He pressed the button for the lift. The doors opened instantly, and he stepped inside, pulling a stumbling Rose in after him.

Once the doors shut, he pressed the button for their floor and then leant down and kissed her forehead, trying to stop her frowning. "Don't worry," he whispered reassuringly into her hair. "I won't make you wear a wedding ring."

Rose burst into laughter and he pulled back, surprised, before realising that she was very swiftly pulling his head _down, _fusing their lips together. He stumbled forward, pressing her against the mirrored wall of the lift as he kissed back hard and passionately. Her fists bunched up in his shirt and she broke away to gasp in air, before tugging his tie loose to press soft kisses against his neck. His hands slid down the sides of her body, ending up on the backs of her thighs, and he hoisted her up, one leg, then the other, wrapping them around his waist and pushing against her, kissing her wherever he could reach.

He found a particularly delightful spot between her neck and shoulder, using his nose to push away the fabric of her top, his teeth to mark her skin with a possessive bite. Rose gasped, but in pleasure more than pain, and he swept over the mark with his tongue. Her hands slipped into his hair, running her fingers through it and tugging his mouth back to hers, loving the feel of his hands gripping her thighs firmly as he subtly moved against her.

Then, abruptly, they stop dead still, as the doors to the lift opened on their floor. Panting for breath, they moved their heads back a bit to stare at each other. "Well," he murmured, his voice all husky and rough and delicious.

"Yeah," she breathed out, giggling a bit in disbelief.

Another few seconds went by and then the Doctor made sure he had a good hold on her before carrying her out into the corridor. He felt for the keycard in his pocket, supporting her against him with one hand, and gave it to Rose, unable to focus his eyes to read it himself. "What number does it say?" he asked her, nuzzling her neck.

"821," she murmured, looking around them. Her eyes lit up. "That one there."

He set off towards the door she'd pointed at, and pressed her against it, taking the card from her again and swiping it through the handle of the door. It opened quickly but he didn't let her fall, shifting her more firmly into his embrace. "Right," he said next, swallowing thickly as the door swung shut behind them as they entered.

Rose gasped as she looked around the room. It was gorgeous. She looked back down at the Doctor's flushed face. "Not as gorgeous as you, though," she said aloud, without thinking.

He grinned at her as she blushed. "Really?" he said, his tone oddly hopeful.

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah."

He chucked the keycard on the table and, kissing her again, made his way over to the rather large bed that sat imposingly in the centre of the room, dropping Rose onto it and then following her, climbing over her body.

"Nice mattress," Rose commented brightly.

He used to his hands to leverage himself above her, and bounced slightly. "Springy," he agreed with a grin.

Rose grabbed his tie and pulled him down for another kiss, and they rolled over in their passion, hurriedly unbuttoning each other's shirts. Giggling as they got tangled up in fabric in their haste, Rose gently pushed herself off of him and stood up.

"Right. Better idea: didn't you mention some sort of Jacuzzi?" she asked breathlessly.

The Doctor grinned. "I most certainly did!"

Later, both the Doctor and Rose pondered that the Honeymoon Suite thing had to be one of the very best ideas he'd ever had, even if they did feel a little guilty when a genuinely newly married couple arrived the following day and were denied room at the inn, so to speak.

So naturally, months later when they visited Belliso again, they maybe might've had a teeny tiny wedding to make things legal that time...


	34. Movie Night

_A/N: Spoilers for Moulin Rouge, in case you haven't seen it. And if you haven't seen it, you should! It's fantastic :) Even the Doctor thinks so, if it means he can cuddle up to Rose whilst watching it during their movie night on the TARDIS x_

* * *

**_Movie Night_**

**_~x~_**

"Movie night!" Rose announced, dashing into the console room excitedly.

The Doctor smiled widely at her as he came up from his repairing position beneath the grating. "Dunno how I can even call this my ship anymore – you seem to be making all the decisions lately."

She shrugged, beaming down at him. "Firstly, you love it, and secondly, it's not my fault that you've turned into a submissive little housewife."

"Oi! No, no, no, _firstly, _we're not even married, and _secondly, _I'd never be a housewife, don't be so domestic!"

Rose rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "Anyway! Film's in the DVD player. Popcorn's in the bowl. Wine's in the glasses."

"You trying to get me drunk, Rose Tyler?"

"According to you, 'Time Lords can't get drunk,' so why would I even try?"

Her eyes sparkled and he couldn't help but grin at her. She was looking lovely this evening – well, she always did. But tonight, she was already showered and ready for bed in her comfy pyjamas, her hair wavy and shining having dried naturally, her face free of makeup but emanating a healthy glow and showcasing a beautiful smile.

She coughed significantly and he promptly realised he was staring silently at her.

Rose hid her smile. She felt all warm inside knowing that even when she'd put little to no effort in her appearance, he still looked at her like...well, like she was worth looking at, she supposed. She'd never felt like that until she'd met him.

He never ever said anything, but he knew his eyes gave him away every time. Even knowing that it made him reveal things, though, he couldn't stop his eyes lingering on her every time she entered or left a room, every time she spoke, every time she...well, every time she was there, actually. It was a bit of an addiction; an addiction he didn't ever want cured.

"So, are you coming?" she asked, cutting through his thoughts.

"Course I am. Just give me a moment to, um, calibrate the...gravitational thrusters. You go ahead."

Rose was pretty sure he was making things up recently, just to get her to leave the room first. But she never asked him. And she secretly felt flattered when she'd sneak a look back at him over her shoulder and catch him staring at her bottom as she exited the room.

"Alright then. But don't be long!" she added, playfully wagging her finger at him.

The Doctor made a point of rolling his eyes, sighing exasperatedly, "Yes, dear."

-x-

Two minutes later, and the Doctor was flopping down next to Rose on the sofa in the TV room. "So! What're we watching? _The Lion King_?" he asked enthusiastically.

Rose giggled and assumed her usual position of snuggling into his side. "We watched that on Tuesday."

He tutted at her like she should know better while he extended his arm around her shoulder to subtly tug her closer. "There's _The Lion King Two, _too," he informed her wisely. "_And _number three!"

"Yes, but we saw those last month. The film we're watching tonight we haven't watched before. Not together, anyway."

His expression softened dramatically. He wanted to do things he'd never done with Rose Tyler all the time.

(No, not like _that, _you pervert.)

(Oh alright, a _bit _like that. But only sometimes. Occasionally. On lonely, lonely nights...)

He could be a soppy git sometimes.

"Okay then. So what is it?"

Rose muttered something unintelligible and clicked 'play.'

The Doctor stared at the screen as music blared from the surround sound.

"Moulin Rouge," he said flatly. He shook his head. "Moulin bloody _Rouge."_

"What?" she retorted defensively.

"Romantic drivel," he proclaimed with a haughty sniff.

"If I have to sit through Disney film after Disney film, you can put up with one tragic romance."

"You're the one who always _picks _the Disney films!" he protested.

"Only 'cos I know you love them so much!"

"Oh," he murmured, touched. Then he frowned. "But...but you like them too, don't you? I thought you did - "

"I _do," _she reassured him. "Anyway, this has got loads of songs in it, just like Disney films have. You'll like it, I bet."

"Really?" he asked dubiously. "But will they be at the standard of Disney songs? Because Disney songs are probably the most fantastic songs of all time - "

"Oh, just shut up and watch it," she said, patting his knee fondly.

"Alright," he grumbled. But he wasn't remotely grumpy really. He got to spend the next couple of hours cuddled up with Rose – he had absolutely _nothing _to complain about.

He eyed the popcorn hungrily. She made him nibbles; she watched Disney films to make him happy; she cuddled him...she was definitely for keeps.

She'd also left her hand on his knee, and was now drawing random circles on his leg with her fingertip. She didn't even look like she realised she was doing it.

He grinned to himself. _Definitely _definitely for keeps.

-x-

Later, the Doctor and Rose were weepy messes.

"But he loved her so much!" she cried, hiccupping.

"And then she died," he added sombrely, tears in his own eyes. "And he was left on his own again."

Rose rolled slightly so she could wrap an arm around the Doctor in a loose hug. She got his shirt wet with tears but he didn't care, just pulled her tightly to him and squeezed, pressing a comforting kiss to the top of her head. "Thought this was your favourite film, and here you are crying like you didn't know what was going to happen," he murmured, his voice rough.

She sniffed and lifted her head. "Just 'cos I know what's going to happen, doesn't make it any less sad."

"No," he agreed, a lump in his throat. He pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear tenderly. "No, I don't suppose it does."

-x-

Even though it made her cry, and even though seeing her upset made _him _upset, they watched the film together countless times from then on. Mainly because, after the second viewing, the Doctor had memorised all the song lyrics, and they both liked to sing along.

One particular evening, and feeling particularly theatrical, the Doctor and Rose were standing on the sofa bellowing out the Elephant Love Medley. They were hardly Ewan and Nicole, but he thought they were rather good all the same.

"We could steal time...just for one day!" he sang, or rather, tried to sing; but by this point in the song they were always in the midst of hysterical laughter, so it was a bit difficult to stay in tune.

Rose often got very daring during their performances, jumping up on the sofa and spreading her arms theatrically. "We could be heroes...forever and ever!"

This time, though, after doing a bit of a twirl as she sang her line, she lost her balance and started to fall. His arms caught her around the waist before she could tumble off the sofa to the ground, but gravity sent them crashing down onto the sofa on top of one another, giggling helplessly.

Rose pushed herself up on her elbows, resting them on his chest, and stared down at him beneath her. They let the song continue on without them.

"Well this is new," she grinned, arching a teasing eyebrow. "Nice, though."

Arms still around her, it was easy to let his fingertips tickle her lower spine. "Cheeky," he admonished playfully.

They watched one another silently for a moment, neither moving at all.

"There were so many reasons their love was doomed," Rose said suddenly, breaking the deliciously tense staring contest. "But they still did everything they could to be able to be with each other. He could barely keep his hands off her but he had to, 'cos of their secret affair, so that the others didn't find out. And when he thought of her being with someone else..." she trailed off.

"Powerful thing, jealousy," the Doctor commented casually. "Can completely eat you up inside."

"You ever felt like that?" she asked him softly.

He gave her a lopsided grin. "Fishing for compliments?" he teased her gently.

She raised her eyebrows. "No! Just meant...hang on." She paused. "Are you saying...?"

"That even though you deserve every happiness someone could give you, that even though I have no right to cling onto you if you found someone else, I can't bear the thought of ever losing you?" he finished for her. He breathed out shakily, hardly believing he'd just admitted to it. "Yeah."

Rose swallowed thickly. She wasn't sure whether to make him elaborate on why that was, exactly, or brush the comment off with a flirty but essentially innocent remark, like she'd done with so many other moments they'd had like this.

She remained silent as she thought things over, then noticed he was frowning.

"You're wondering how to reply to that, aren't you," he said softly. "Sorry, just...ignore it, if you want. I shouldn't have said that."

"But it's true?" she checked.

"Well, yes. But like I said, if it's made you uncomfortable, just pretend I didn't say it."

"You've got nothing to worry about," she replied, shaking her head.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm staying put. Never going to leave."

"What, you're staying right there, lying on top of me forever?" He grinned.

She giggled and shrugged casually. "If you want."

"Want and need...two very conflicting things, you see, because while I might _want _you to stay exactly where you are, sooner or later one of us is going to get hungry, and I can't reach the nibbles from here," he smiled.

Rose smiled back naughtily. "Hope you're talking literally and not euphemistically."

His eyes widened. "Of course! Cheeky minx."

"Well then, I guess you'll just have to improvise."

The Doctor chuckled warmly. "Well alright then. Anything's better than letting you go off to lie on top of someone else."

"Naked," Rose added, grinning widely when he looked momentarily horror-struck at the thought. Then a smirk crept onto his face and she knew_ exactly _what he was going to say next.

"Shame we didn't re-enact the next bit of the film," he teased.

"Shame they don't actually get naked in the film," Rose retorted.

The Doctor groaned. "Oh don't tell me you fancy Ewan McGregor now as well!"

"What do you mean 'as well?'" she laughed.

"As well as all the other pretty boys you fancy," he huffed.

"Oooh, starting to see the jealous streak coming out yet again."

He retaliated to this by tickling her until she started giggling and squirming around above him so much that he abruptly realised he ought to cease tickling her in case her wriggling movement provoked an untimely response somewhere south of his midsection.

"Rose," he murmured.

"Mmm?"

"You know you said you're staying here forever?"

"Yeah?"

"What if you don't?" his voice cracked a little and he cleared his throat sharply.

"We're not in that film. I'm not going to get T.B or whatever and die, alright?"

"No, but you could get ill or hurt some other way. And then I might lose you. What if - "

"Shut up, Doctor. Don't think about all that. You said I could stay for the rest of my life and that's what I intend to do, whether that's two years or twenty or two hundred, alright?"

He relaxed into a smile. "Alright."

"Good." She started to shift off him.

He stopped her, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist again to keep her firmly where she was. "Oi, where you off to?" he asked.

Rose didn't answer, but she was delighted that he'd stopped her moving off of him. They went back to staring at each other in silence. She could feel his hearts beating wildly in his chest. He could see her chest heaving as she breathed in rapidly. And then, almost exactly in synch, they both tilted their heads and kissed each other chastely on the lips. Then pulled back instantly and stared at each other again. The Doctor's lips quirked upwards. Rose let out a small giggle. And then they went in for another.

This time wasn't quite so chaste.


	35. Strip Poker and Sensitive Skin

_Strip Poker and Sensitive Skin_

-x-

He never knew it would come to this. That _he _would come to this. Blimey. Nine hundred years of time and space, and he'd never anticipated that he'd ever, _ever _do this.

"So..." drawled Rose Tyler, or, as the Doctor now thought she ought to be known, The Minx. "Looks like you're not as good at this as you boasted you were..." Her eyes sparkled at him in her obvious enjoyment at his predicament.

He coughed indignantly. "Actually, I'm just letting you win."

"Yeah, of course," she agreed sarcastically, twirling a poker chip between her fingers. Her gaze slipped from his eyes to glance at his bare chest with a mischievous grin. "You wear a lot of layers, though, so I'm thinking that the fact I've got you half naked already is actually a real testament to my poker playing abilities."

He huffed and crossed his arms. "You just wait," he proclaimed, in a low growl. "We'll see who'll have the last laugh, eh? When you have to forfeit every last inch of the clothing you're wearing."

"Promises, promises. Anyway, Doctor, even if that could possibly happen, I don't think you'd be laughing," she teased, leaning forwards over the kitchen table, an eyebrow raised. He avoided her gaze and tried not to blush or say anything embarrassing, simply giving a little _hmph _noise under his breath. "So, let's see. You've lost your shoes, socks, jacket, shirt, shirt, and another shirt – seriously, why so many shirts?" she briefly questioned.

"I'm..." He coughed and quietly mumbled, "Sensitive."

And just like that her brief question turned into an interesting topic for discussion.

Rose giggled. "What did you just say?"

He rolled his eyes and made a show of looking extremely irritated with her. "I said I'm sensitive, alright? This...body, it's...it's..." He met her laughing eyes and faltered for a moment. "It's...we hug a lot, and I..."

"And you what?" she asked, arching an eyebrow.

He cleared his throat. "Nothing. Let's carry on with the game."

"Oh no, you can't change the subject that easily." She reached her arm forward towards him and he scooted backwards on his chair and hit the kitchen wall with his head.

"Oww! Look what you made me do now," he grumbled, rubbing his poor head.

"Why did you flinch?" she asked, half-confused, half-amused. "I was only going to - " Her eyes widened. "What, so are you saying if we hugged with you wearing less clothes, or...let's say, no clothes, then you'd...what? Itch, or something?"

He stared at the floor. "One way of putting it..."

"I don't understand - "

"No, well you wouldn't, would you," he snapped. He stood up and strode over to the kettle, filling it with water and switching it on. He opened the cupboard in an overly harsh move and quickly took out their favourite mugs, putting them down on the counter with more force than strictly necessary. Then he braced his hands on the edge of the countertop, still facing away from Rose, breathing heavily.

She viewed upon this with raised eyebrows, completely taken aback by his jerky, angry movements. "Er, Doctor...?"

"What?" he muttered.

She eyed his tense back and shoulders and started to worry. "Are you feeling okay?" She stood up and took a step towards him. She literally heard him stop breathing, then, which caused her to worry even more, so she placed her hand lightly on his shoulder to get him to turn around. She wasn't quite expecting him to jump away from her and knock her mug flying to the floor as he did so.

They both stood still, and silently stared at the shards of her favourite mug on the floor.

"I broke your mug," he whispered.

She shook her head. "It's okay. Least it didn't have tea in it. I'll clear it up -"

"No," he murmured, crouching down and picking up the pieces himself. "I'll do it."

She watched him, her brow furrowed at the forlorn look on his face. "Look, it doesn't matter, it's just a mug," she told him earnestly.

"Yes it does matter!" he exclaimed as he stood back up and placed the pieces on the counter. "It's your favourite. And it matches mine, and...and I'm sorry. But I'll fix it, I promise," he said, quieter this time.

"Doctor, you don't have to - "

"Yes I do." The kettle had boiled and he glanced at it.

"Later, though, yeah? Just use a different one for me for now - "

He shook his head sagely. "It'll taste different. You can share mine."

"That'll taste different too," she giggled, "Cos you have about fifteen sugars in yours."

He rolled his eyes, his lips twitching. "That's entirely exaggerative, Rose Tyler. I only have five."

"Only!" she laughed, bumping his shoulder with hers unthinkingly. He went rigid again and she noticed. "Look, will you just tell me what's going on? Why are you suddenly going all weird on me? I've lived with you - for what...? Must be nearly two years - and not once have you ever flinched away from my hugs or whatever, so - "

"Wasn't ever shirtless in front of you before though, was I?" He poured the hot water into his mug, dropped in a tea bag, and spooned in the sugar, while Rose got the milk out and poured that in for him. She handed him a teaspoon and he twirled it around in his mug before lifting out the tea bag and depositing it unceremoniously onto the countertop. He turned around and sat back down at the table, scooting his chair forward. Rose resumed her place opposite him and regarded him with a thoughtful expression as he inhaled the steam coming from his mug with a pleased sigh. "Nothing like a good cup of - "

"Tactile," she interrupted.

"Pardon?"

"Since you changed – god, how long as it been now?"

"Seven months, five days, thirteen hours, your time," he supplied helpfully.

"Right," she nodded. "Well, in those seven months you've been very tactile. I mean, you held my hand before you regenerated, but you hold it a lot more now, for no real reason."

He swallowed hard. "Is that a problem?"

She offered him a warm smile. "No, of course it isn't."

"Good."

"And you kissed me. In Ancient Rome."

"That was...an accident," he murmured sheepishly, tugging at his ear.

"Right," she smirked. "And...you cuddle now."

"I do not _cuddle."_

"Yes you do!" she laughed. "All the time! When we're watching films or reading or something, on the library sofa. You always cuddle me."

"No, _you _cuddle _me," _he insisted. He sniffed pointedly. "I just...let you."

"Okay, it's me sometimes, but mostly you initiate it. _And _it was you who began the tradition in the first place."

He tilted his head to the side, contemplative. "Really?"

"Really, really," she nodded, suppressing her giggles.

"Oh." He gave her an odd look. "The cuddling isn't a problem, is it?"

"Nope," she replied, popping the 'p.'

"Good," he smiled, and took a sip of his drink.

"And you lick things constantly," she said next, and he choked a bit on his tea. "I mean, way back with the Sycorax when you tasted that blood - " She wrinkled her nose up. "I thought that was a one off, but it really wasn't. Back with the werewolf when you licked the wall? And that pot on Darake Four? Not to mention the mouldy rock on Veif. And - "

"Alright, you've cited your evidence. Now tell me your point," interjected the Doctor impatiently.

"Touch, smell, taste, sound...granted, you need glasses now so your eyes aren't so good, but how comes your other senses are so heightened this time around?"

He took a swig of his tea to try and prolong the inevitability of having to explain this to her.

"Doctor?" she urged.

"Here, I promised you some tea," he tried to distract her, offering her his mug.

She rolled her eyes, took it from him, gulped a mouthful, and gave it back. "Well?"

He sighed when his distraction tactic didn't work. "Right. Well. This is going to be embarrassing and probably quite painful so I'm going to say it quickly to get it over with, like you humans tell kids to do with plasters."

"Okay," she said slowly. "I'm ready. Tell me."

"And I'll do that, right after we finish this game of poker," he amended, deciding to be a coward.

"Doctor!" Rose protested.

"I promise I'll tell you," he insisted. "Just...let's finish this first. Can you go easy on me though, 'cos I'm in actual abject fear of losing my trousers in the next five minutes..."

"What, so you admit that I'm winning all on my own?" she grinned, her tongue peeking of the corner of her mouth.

His eyes lingered on that smile of hers for a few moments, and then he answered softly, "Yes. Apparently there are a lot of things you're better at than me."

She picked up her poker chips and sent him a flirty wink. "Definitely."

He looked down at his own paltry stack of chips and counted them fixatedly, so that he wouldn't try to launch himself across the table and kiss that playful, smug grin right off her face.

-x-

_Later:_

"So I've got a question for myself," murmured the Doctor. "Why in the universe did I think it would be a good idea to continue playing strip poker with the strip poker champion Rose Tyler? _And..._why in the universe were we sober whilst playing it? I should've made us a gin and tonic, not a cup of tea..."

Rose giggled and jumped up from her chair to begin her joyous, adorable little victory jig. "Because you wanted to avoid revealing something about yourself," she answered him wisely. Then she let her eyes trail down his body. "Oh, but oops – you did that anyway!"

Her laughter was bordering on an evil cackle and he couldn't help but laugh with her because she was just...so...so _Rose. _"You won't tell anyone about this, will you?" he asked seriously.

"About what, Doctor?" she replied innocently. "The fact that I didn't have to remove any of my clothing apart from my socks and shoes, whilst _you _had to take away everything, including your dignity?"

"Yes, that," he answered, reaching for his undershirt. "Except I didn't take off _everything."_

Rose snorted in amusement and began to clear up the poker set. "Only because I took mercy on you and ended the game before your pants ended up on the floor."

"That's true," he agreed. "Thanks."

"No problem." She glanced at him and saw that he was simply sitting there watching her with one of his shirts half-buttoned, still just in his boxer-briefs. "You gonna just sit there or get dressed and help me tidy up?"

"I'm going to just sit here," he answered honestly. He nervously tugged at his ear, and mumbled, "And maybe tell you something."

"Ooh, do I get to hear your big Time Lord secret, now?" she asked excitedly, sitting on the table, looking down at him expectantly.

"I...I regenerated to save your life," he said quietly.

Her eyes softened. "I know."

"And..." he continued. "And I did that because I...well, because I...didn't want you to die, didn't want you to not be here anymore..."

"I know," she repeated gently. His hand was on the table next to her and she squeezed it comfortingly.

"And as I regenerated, I was thinking about you," he confessed.

Her brow crinkled slightly. "Yeah?"

"Yes," he affirmed, a lump his throat. "And I was thinking about how much I...how much I didn't want to change into someone who you couldn't...be with, and - "

"What?"

He ignored her disbelieving interruption and ploughed on, "And I hoped - wished, really – that I could be...better, this time, better for you. Because I...I want..." _You you you you you you you you. And I want an us. You, Rose Tyler, and me, the Doctor. You and me. I want there to be a you and me._ "I...I want..." he stammered.

"_What_, Doctor? What do you want?"

He let out a regretful sigh. "I want you to want what I want," he deflected carefully.

She swallowed thickly. "And what do _you _want?"

"Um...well...things, and you see, the thing is, I've wanted these...things, for, well...for a very long time since you've been here with me, and - "

"Since I've been here?" she murmured, and he heard her heart beat speed up and hoped that was a good thing.

"Yes, and...well, suffice to say, these things, uh, _involve _you, therefore it would make sense that I'd want you to want them too, no fun if you didn't, after all, because then I'd just be left with a bunch of things I want but can't have, much like I used to think was the case, but then I changed, and looked...like this, and I thought, maybe, that you'd, that we'd...I mean, maybe we'd have eventually, if I hadn't have changed, anyway, but now it just seems like there would be a better, er, chance, because, well, we've become even closer, I reckon, recently, what with the, uh, cuddling and things, and...and...and..."

He looked like he was going to hyperventilate. "Doctor, breathe," she told him, firmly gripping his shoulders and giving him a bit of a shake.

"Right, yes, good thing, breathing – although, I don't really have to worry too much, what with the respiratory bypass and all that - "

"Doctor!" Rose exclaimed in frustration. "Can you just, stop getting all anxious, stop rambling nonsense, and just _tell me what you want!"_

"Sex!" he blurted out. His eyes almost popped out of his head as he realised he literally just shouted that out loud. After all his careful dodging around the subject, he'd finally just...blurted it out. Without a proper explanation about exactly _why _he wanted it anyway. Sounding like some sort of...some sort of _human male. _Great. He made to stand up. "I should really fix your mug - "

"Sit back down right now," said Rose, in a shaky yet commanding tone, and he gulped and did as he was told. She exhaled roughly while he fidgeted uneasily in his chair. "Right. Could you, um...you could you say that again? I'm not sure I heard you correctly."

He ran a hand through his hair nervously. "Right, well, um...I didn't mean for it to sound like that, but you wouldn't let me _explain, _and I - " he cut himself off, shaking his head. "Oh, what the hell," he muttered, and stood up. Rose frowned, undoubtedly about to tell him to finish what he was saying before he fled, but the Doctor had no intention fleeing. Not anymore. In fact, he almost reached for her to pull her towards him - but then, he lost his nerve.

Instead, he started pacing.

Rose watched on, baffled, and prompted, "Doctor?"

"Yes." He ruffled his hair but said nothing further.

She thought he looked adorable, pacing the kitchen with hardly any clothes on and tousled hair. "Doctor," she repeated pointedly. "Explain away."

"You ought to know that this is...this is completely my own fault, because of how much I...er, you know." He coughed uncomfortably, and muttered, "Admire you." Her cheeks tinted a bit pink and he gave her a crooked smile. "No need to look so surprised, Rose Tyler. You know right well that you catch the eye of many a person in your travels through time and space."

She shrugged. "Didn't know I'd caught _your _eye."

"Of course you do," he frowned. "What, you think I just go around holding hands and cuddling and staring at everyone?"

"Staring?" she repeated, her mouth curving into a teasing grin.

"Bugger," he muttered, realising what he'd just confessed to. "Yes, well, I hope you don't think of me as some sort of leering older man, because the truth of it is, Rose Tyler, is that for some inexplicable reason I just...I just...I just _ache._ In the most fantastic, terrible way. Every time your skin touches mine, even for just for an instant, I...well, like I said earlier. I'm sensitive. And I'm like that nowadays because of how much I physically _need _you. So...yeah, that's why I flinched earlier. Because when you touch my bare skin, my nerve endings go into overdrive, and the sensation is..." He let out a long, whoosh-y sort of breath. "_Overwhelming_."

Her mouth opened and closed like a goldfish for a few moments. Then she remembered something. "But I hold your hand all the time, and you don't go all tingly and weird then -" she started protest. At his Look, she made a small noise in the back of her throat, then muttered, "Oh."

"Yes. 'Oh,'" he agreed. "Simply holding your hand takes some impressive willpower of mine, I'll have you know. Have to suppress some very...un-Time-Lord-y thoughts..."

She made a noise instead of a word, and that noise was, "Guh."

He smiled somewhat shyly, then. "You should know, also, that this...sensation...is completely generated by you and only you. If anyone else touched my skin or held my hand, I wouldn't feel anything extraordinary. Only you can make feel like this, because it was you who I was..." he swallowed hard.

"Who you were what?" she whispered hoarsely.

He didn't answer her question or finish his sentence, simply moved onto something else. "And another thing," he said quietly. "I've grown so used to your presence, to your close proximity on the TARDIS, that I've become very, uh, finely attuned to you." He paused, worried how she would take his next revelation. "Please don't be angry with me – it's not my fault; I can't help it – but I...I can hear your heart racing from here, and I can sense that you've, that you're...I can sense your, um...pheromones, and seriously, Rose, being able to sense those things is just..._havoc _for my self control."

"You can – can sense my heart beating and my pheromones and stuff all the time?" she stuttered.

"Yes," he whispered. "Peril of being a Time Lord in love, I think."

And just like that he'd said it.

They both went completely still, and both held their breath, utterly surprised at the way the words had just fallen from his lips like that.

Rose was the first to exhale, and she was also the first to move. She slid slowly from her perch on the kitchen table and walked over to him.

He looked down, suddenly remembering he was severely underdressed. "Shall I put some clothes on?" he murmured to himself.

"Bit counter-productive, that," she pointed out.

"Yeah?" he squeaked.

"Yep. In fact, I think I should just..." Rose pulled her top over her head and threw it over her shoulder. "Keep you company," she finished softly. She undid the button of her jeans.

The Doctor gulped. "Rose?"

"Yeah?" she replied, easing down the zip.

"What are you doing?"

"Taking my jeans off," she informed him wisely, and did exactly that, stepping out of the denim fabric and kicking them behind her without a second thought.

"Why?"

She found it very amusing that his voice was steadily rising in pitch with each question he asked her. "Because I'm going to give you what you want," she shrugged.

His eyes widened. "You don't have to," he protested weakly.

"But it's what I want, too," she said.

He thought his hearts might explode out of his chest, they were galloping so fast. "In that case..."

She smiled, and reached for his shirt, pushing it back off his shoulders and popping the few buttons he'd managed to refasten earlier. Then, she placed her hands on his chest, one directly over each of his hearts, and he shivered. She trailed her fingertips lightly across the dusting of hair on his chest, and he stumbled back, keeping himself upright with an iron grip on the counter behind him. "I feel as though I've got some sort of magic power," she whispered, starting to giggle.

"You do," he whispered back. "You always have."

She met his eyes, and they stared at one another for a few moments while they continued to whisper. "Are you really in love with me?"

He chuckled. "Oh, Rose. How could anyone ever be in doubt of that?" He tilted his head to press his forehead against hers and shivered again. "You are...so wonderful." He nudged her nose with his playfully. "And so beautiful." He finally brought his hands to rest at her waist, delighted at the feel of her bare skin beneath his palms. "And you drive me absolutely _mad with desire."_

She pressed a brief kiss to his lips, then quickly pulled back, strangely bashful. He followed her movement to seal his mouth back to hers, and she smiled into the kiss. It started out tender and gentle, and then, _then, _their impatience resurfaced, and soon their tongues were in each other's mouths, and their hands were in each other's hair, and they were pressing against one another as close as they could, stumbling towards the kitchen door.

They paused their snogging for a moment, fumbling with getting the door open, then the Doctor kissed his way down her neck, mumbling, "You taste _magnificent." _She giggled and pushed him backwards, looking for one of their bedrooms. The TARDIS had thoughtfully moved his bedroom just opposite the kitchen, and once they realised they both silently thanked her for her intuition and dove for the door.

Laughing joyously, they entered the room, and when Rose jumped onto his bed with a bounce and started removing her underwear, the Doctor grinned and said, "And there was me thinking I wasn't going to get to see the Queen of Poker lose her clothes this evening."


	36. No Time Like The Present

_A/N: Thanks for the reviews for last chapter :) Much appreciated as always. This one's just a short one, but I hope you like it._

* * *

_No Time Like the Present_

_-x-_

"Rose, can I ask you a question?" he murmured, flicking channels over and over again with the remote to Jackie's TV in some sort of vain attempt at appearing nonchalant.

She sleepily lifted her head from his shoulder and answered the affirmative mid-yawn.

"Thanks," he replied. "Right. Well. I was wondering...well, not _wondering..._it doesn't, you know, _bother _me or anything, it just...quite spontaneously questioned itself in my mind, er..."

"Doctor, get on with it," she requested, fondly patting his knee.

"Yes, of course. Okay. So. Um...remember Adam?"

"Clicky-forehead Adam?"

The Doctor snorted in amusement. "Yes, that's the one."

"What about him?"

"Weellll..." He continued to face the television, not meeting her gaze. "Did you and he...ever...?" He gave a meaningful cough.

Rose started to giggle. "He was only with us like _one day. _Who do you think I am?"

This pleased and infuriated the Doctor in equal amounts. "So are you implying that had he been with us longer than 'one day,' you and he _would _have...?"

"No!" she laughed. "No, I'm _not _implying that at all. I only liked him 'cos he paid attention to me. And I wanted to show him that he wasn't the only clever person in that room," she admitted, sighing at herself for being so silly. "Didn't even fancy him." She wrinkled her nose up as she remembered. "He wasn't that great looking really, was he?" she pondered.

"Hmph," the Doctor muttered, before grumbling, "S'pose you've had prettier."

"And then he did that stupid thing on the – hang on, what did you just say?"

He sighed and turned his head, fixing her with a sceptical look. "You heard me."

She pressed her lips together to keep from bursting into laughter again. "Doctor," she said slowly. "You know that I haven't..." She widened her eyes theatrically then meaningfully waggled her eyebrows. "Since before I first started travelling with you."

The Doctor was quiet for a moment, opening and closing his mouth, searching for words. He apparently found them. "So..._really?" _He screwed up his face in thought.

"Really," she assured him, nodding firmly.

"Not even Jack?"

"Not even Jack," she giggled. Then, because he looked so pleased with her answers, she couldn't resist teasing him, "So, just suddenly came to you, did it? Needed questioning?"

He cleared his throat sharply. "Yes."

"You sure?" she continued, tongue touching the corner of her mouth as she gave him a flirty grin. "Sure you haven't been wondering about it for awhile?"

He glared at her playfully, before quickly wrapping his arm around her shoulders and settling her against his side again. "So," he began.

And she thought he was going to change the subject to something more innocent and less tempting and that that would be the end of the matter.

He didn't.

"Fancy resolving the issue?" he asked casually, once more looking back at the television screen.

She sat up alarmingly quickly, falling out of his embrace again. "You what now?"

He resisted the urge to chuckle and looked at her innocently. "Well, if it's been a long time..."

"So hang on, are you _offering?" _she asked in bafflement, thoroughly confused. _And _a little excited.

He shrugged casually. "If you want."

She closed her eyes tightly then opened them again. Nope, she hadn't just hallucinated. He was really there. Next to her on the sofa. Looking at her with mischievous eyes. Offering to have –

"Really?" she blurted out.

"Would you want to?"

"Would _you?" _she retorted.

He started to laugh, then, and grabbed a hold of her hands, dragging her towards him. "Isn't that obvious?"

Her mind boggled. "Erm, no, not really!" she said, her voice rising in her frustration. "And, by the way, great timing! While we're in Mum's bloody flat!"

He rolled his eyes. "You said she thinks we're...together...anyway!"

"Do you have an _actual death wish?" _Rose demanded, poking him in the chest. "Mum may have _assumed _that, but she doesn't want to hear about it!"

"Alright then. Let's go back to the TARDIS."

"Wh- but – wh – _what?" _she spluttered. "You can't just – oh my _god, _you have no idea!"

"No idea about what?" he asked curiously.

"How to – to...you know...seduce someone!"

He tugged at his ear sheepishly. "Weeellll...did I mention, it's been a very long time since I did this? Much, much longer than you. Give me some points for actually initiating something, in spite of that. I mean, really, logically speaking, it should be _you _seducing _me._ That's what I was expecting. And I've had to wait and wait and wait and now I've decided I'll be waiting forever if I wait until _you _do something - "

"Oi!" she shouted. "You realise how ironic you're sounding right now?"

He frowned at her. "It's not irony, it's just fact. Anyway - "

"You're the bloody Time Lord! It's your TARDIS I live in! _You're _the one that's s'posed to start things off, s'posed to let me know that it's alright for me to fancy you!"

He grinned. "You do, then?"

"Do what?" she exclaimed, exasperated.

"Fancy me?"

"Obviously!"

His grin widened. "Good."

"Doctor," she sighed, looking down as he entwined her hand with his tightly.

"Rose," he countered, ducking his head to make her look at him. He smiled at her tenderly. "Look, the thing is, Rose..."

She raised her eyes to meet his, surprised by the gentleness in his voice.

"I was sort of very nervous, about telling you that I..."

"What?" she prompted.

He swallowed thickly. "Want you."

Her breath caught in her throat, and she whispered mock-sternly, "You know, there were so many times you could have _let me know that."_

"I thought I had been!" he said, rather indignantly. "I thought you were just too blind to see it. Or that you...didn't feel the same and were ignoring it..."

"Don't be silly," she murmured. "Course I feel the same."

"Okay, well, that's good to know. So...so...do you think, maybe, at some point, we could...embark on that, er, journey together?"

She giggled. "'Journey?'" she smirked.

"Yeah. You know. Literally and figuratively speaking. Literally the journey from here to my bedroom; figuratively, the emotional journey of intimacy and...stuff. Look, Rose, I'm trying to be romantic here and utterly failing at it, so please can you just answer me yes or no to the following question: would you like to go back to the TARDIS to have sex?"

Rose grinned. "Hell yeah!"

He grinned back at her, pulling her up with him as he stood. "Well then. No time like the present!"

Rose Tyler was quite sure they'd never run so fast, and considering they ran for their lives on a weekly basis, that really was saying something.


	37. The Other French Mistress

**The **_**Other**_** French Mistress**

-:-

"What the hell!" blurted out Rose, as soon as she stepped into the room.

"Ah, you must be Rose! I am Mademoiselle Adrienne Valentine," greeted a curvaceous woman with gorgeous, wavy blonde hair cascading down her back.

"Oh for god's sake, we're on a bloody different planet and he still finds another blonde Frenchwoman," she muttered.

"This," the Doctor announced to her quickly. "Is most definitely not what it looks like and is in no way my fault, I promise."

"He's lying," added Adrienne. "This is entirely what it looks like and completely his fault."

"Oi! Rose, don't listen to her!"

Rose took another step forward and her eyes widened. "Doctor."

"Yeah?" he replied nervously.

"You're naked."

"Ah."

-:-

_Earlier that day..._

"So, there's the Palace of Msizentm, home of the great Princes of Balasiftu," the Doctor told Rose, gesturing to the large, stately building up ahead of them. "Isn't it magnificent?"

"It's beautiful! Can we go and make friends with some royalty and take a look around it?" she replied, excitement lighting up her eyes.

His hand dug around in his pocket for a moment before holding up the psychic paper. "Of course we can!"

Rose smiled up at him. "Race you!" she announced, before letting go of the hand she was holding and starting to sprint up the gravel path towards the palace. The Doctor chuckled and chased after her.

It was sometime later, after acquainting themselves with the Princes and the Royal Court, that Rose and the Doctor became separated. One of the ladies-in-waiting to the Princes' mother, the Queen of the kingdom of Balasiftu, who was visiting her sons' residence, had provided Rose with a guided tour of the gardens and rooms of the palace. After an hour of this, Rose grew bored, and sneaked away, hoping to find the Doctor and/or a mystery to solve. The last time she'd seen the Time Lord was in the Great Hall, where she'd left him conversing with Prince Davereo, but currently she was upstairs in one of the lavish corridors, and had unfortunately found herself in that awkward situation where one hears a curious noise coming from a room one is supposed to stay out of. Naturally, curious and jeopardy-friendly woman that Rose was, she opened the door to the forbidden room.

And thus she found the Doctor, naked, with a stranger on top of him on a rather large four poster bed.

Yeah.

-:-

"Madame whoever-you-are, do you mind jumping off him for a second so I can have a word?" Rose asked the woman sweetly. Mademoiselle Adrienne Valentine sighed and complied, lifting her skirts and removing herself from on top of the Doctor.

The Doctor looked aghast. "How is it that you do as Rose asked, but you didn't move away and let me go when I asked you to?" he demanded.

The Frenchwoman lifted an eyebrow. "But you did not ask me to," she replied innocently.

Rose rolled her eyes.

The Doctor looked even more horrified. "Yes I did!" He looked at Rose beseechingly. "Rose, I did!" he insisted. "This – this _woman _drugged me and dragged me in here and tried to do unspeakable things to me!"

Rose folded her arms. "So what you're saying is, she managed to strip you completely naked and tie you to her bed and you just simply couldn't fight her off?"

The Doctor frowned, because Rose sounded dubious, like she didn't believe him, and that was very not good because what he'd told her was true and he needed her to see that, otherwise their relationship, such as it was, may become irreparably damaged.

"Yes!" he answered. "Because, as I said, she _drugged _me!"

Rose shrugged. "You're awake now. Didn't occur to you to attempt an escape?"

"Rose, in case you haven't noticed, I'm not wearing any clothes, thus I have not the use of my sonic screwdriver."

"No," she scoffed, glancing down his body. "Bloody typical that you've got the use of your other - "

"Rose!" he interrupted, alarmed at her almost-comparison. "Not that I'm encouraging to look in that direction again, but honestly, do I _look _as though I wanted her on top of me?"

Adrienne intercepted their conversation briefly to throw another spanner in the works, "I suspect, Rose, he lost his excitement somewhat once you arrived."

Rose's jaw clenched angrily and she whirled around to face the other woman. "Why don't _you _just shut up!" Then she span back to the Doctor, who was staring at her with wide eyes.

"In no way, shape or form was or am or will I be willing to have sex with her," he vowed. "The whole fiasco has been completely _un_arousing, I assure you."

Adrienne put in, "Oh Doctor, she obviously doesn't believe you, you may as well cease with the lies."

The Doctor turned his head. "Why are you so insistent on ruining everything?" he asked her, in that quiet, angry voice he used that made him sound so very dangerous. "How is tying me to a bed and pretending I wanted you to do so even _remotely _beneficial to your life?"

Adrienne affected an expression of shock and hurt. "Why are _you _denying what we have between us?"

He let out an exclamation of frustration. "Oh for Rassilon's sake!" he sighed dramatically. "Just untie these crazily tight knots and let me go. _Please."_

Adrienne stepped over to the bed. Rose watched her carefully, ready to pounce if the other woman tried to hurt the Doctor.

"Oh, now, you don't have to do that," the Doctor complained, closing his eyes when Adrienne got on her hands and knees above the Doctor to access his tied up wrists.

"Where are his clothes?" Rose asked.

Adrienne sighed deeply. "In the closet."

Rose backed up to the closet, keeping her eyes on the bed, until she had to turn around and search for his clothes. As soon as she did she heard the Doctor yelp, and span back around.

"Rose! She just _bit _my neck!"

Adrienne trailed her hands down the Doctor's arms, let them wander down his bare chest. "You love it," she purred, rocking her hips above his.

Rose had had quite enough of this. She stormed over to the bed and yanked Adrienne by her perfect blonde hair until she was tumbling off of the Doctor and onto the floor. Rose kept a hold of her hair as she tried to wriggle free and said, "I am not the sort of girl who gets seized by fits of jealousy and has catfights to try and resolve the matter." She paused, and crouched down, to look Adrienne right in the eye. "But I swear to God I will lock you in that closet if you don't stop trying to shag the Doctor right in front of me. Capiche?"

The woman nodded solemnly, but as Rose was about to stand up, she grabbed her around the waist and dragged her to the floor, pushing her down with her hands on her shoulders. "I never go after something that I am unlikely to get," she muttered coldly. "It's just a matter of time before your precious Doctor caves in."

"You're delusional," Rose replied, then hooked her leg around the woman to flip her onto her back then tried to scramble off her; but they ended up having a bit of a tussle on the floor as they both tried to pin the other down.

The Doctor, meanwhile, was utterly speechless. And when Rose seemed to finally reach her boiling point and used her entire body strength to topple Adrienne away from her, allowing Rose to jump up and onto the bed to try and get him free, he quite possibly was a little transfixed by the fact that she had _literally fought _another woman over him.

"You can take that little smug grin right off your face," Rose mumbled, fiddling with the knots that tied his hands to the headboard.

He carried on smiling at her, enjoying the breathless, flustered look she was exhibiting at that moment. Then, he saw Adrienne stand up and dust herself down behind Rose's shoulder. He also saw her pick up the bedside lamp. "Er, Rose, quick, she's - !" he started, sounding very panicked.

Before he could finish his sentence, Rose had whirled around with an arm up to block Adrienne's attempt at hitting her over the head with the lamp, and landed a punch to the side of her face, knocking her out. The lamp and she fell to the floor. Rose winced and shook her hand. "Ouch. She has a hard face."

She turned back to the Doctor, who was looking at her oddly.

"Oh, for god's sake – I know you don't approve of violence, but that was self-defence," Rose said, defensively.

He swallowed thickly and gestured to his shell-shocked expression with the hand she had managed to free. "Rose, don't mistake this look for disapproval. I am merely utterly... astonished."

"Oh," she mumbled, straightening her shirt self-consciously. "Yeah. Well. She deserved it." She leant forwards to untie the other knot.

"You do believe me, don't you?" he asked earnestly. "I would never..."

Rose offered him a small smile. "Yes. I believe you," she murmured, then added a triumphant "aha!" once she'd freed his other wrist. Before she could move away, the Doctor used his newly free hands to grab her middle and tug her into a hug. She rolled her eyes and hugged him back, hiding a smile in his bare shoulder.

"Come on," she said softly. "Let's get out of here before she wakes up." She drew back from their hug and told him, "I'll get your clothes."

The Doctor swung his legs over the side of the bed and sat watching her move to the closet to retrieve his suit. He let out a sigh of relief.

"So who is she?" Rose asked as she walked back to him with his clothes.

"I think she's one of the Prince's...mistresses," he admitted, then winced as she sent him a Look.

"Blimey. The parallels are startling," she commented, chucking his boxer-briefs at him playfully. "Did this one read your mind, too?"

He caught them and sent her a quick glare before putting them on. "No, she didn't," he replied.

"Small mercies," she muttered, the corner of her mouth lifting slightly in a tiny smile. She threw his trousers in his direction, which he dutifully put on.

"Rose," he then murmured, standing there half-clothed, a lump coming to his throat.

She met his gaze. "Yeah?"

"I need you to know that I...weeelll, that it's you...that I..." He reached a hand up to scratch the back of his neck awkwardly.

"That you what?" she asked patiently. He didn't respond.

She stepped closer to him and put his jacket and tie on the bed, holding up his shirt for him. She pressed a hand to his shoulder, urging him to face the other direction, and then he caught up with her actions and slipped his arms into his shirt as she held it. He turned back around to face her and she stared at his chest as she did up his shirt buttons.

The Doctor watched her, silently, the lump in his throat becoming even more pronounced; so much so that he inexplicably felt tears spring to his eyes. She reached over to the bed and retrieved his tie, then slipped it around his collar and started to tie it. Her fingers grazed over his collar bone and even through his shirt her gentle touch made him shiver. Paradoxically, her dressing him like this was really quite...He gulped.

Finished with his tie, she smoothed her hands down his chest, trying to iron out the wrinkles of his shirt. His hearts thudded beneath her palms, and still he could only stare at her through slightly watery eyes, unable to voice his feelings. She glanced up, then, and met his stare with her own.

She reached a hesitant hand up to his cheek, her brow furrowing as she took in the sight if his glistening eyes. Her thumb stroked his cheekbone tenderly for a moment, and then she moved her hand to the back of his neck, her fingertips tracing the soft skin. He let out a shaky breath and placed his own hands on her hips, gently tugging her forwards, closing the distance between their bodies.

"Rose," he whispered, tilting his head down, his breath ghosting over her lips.

An unpleasant groan that was distinctly neither Rose's nor the Doctor's alerted them to the fact that Adrienne had awoken. Rose span out of his arms, grabbed his jacket, grabbed his hand, and whispered, "Run!" before leading them both out of the room at a quick pace before Adrienne could realise what had happened. They jogged quietly down the hallway, pausing at the staircase to glance around for guards. Seeing none in the vicinity of their escape route, they sprinted down the stairs and out of the palace, hand in hand, Rose still clutching his jacket. They slowed to a walk as they became further from the palace and closer to the TARDIS, and Rose let him when he started swinging their arms between them playfully. She looked at him, and found him already looking at her, a soft smile on his face.

"What are you smiling at?" she mumbled, trying not to smile herself. He squeezed her hand and her lips twitched.

"You," he answered.

She went a bit pink and forced her gaze away from his. She spotted the TARDIS and nodded her head towards it. "Nearly home - "

"Race you," he whispered in her ear, then let go of her hand and took off for the TARDIS. She giggled and chased after him.

Predictably, he was inside the time machine first, thus when Rose dashed through the doors and nearly stumbled, he was there to catch her around the waist and hold her upright. She laughed against him breathlessly, and he couldn't take his eyes off her. Once she'd caught her breath, she relaxed into his hold, pleased that he hadn't let her go yet. Biting her bottom lip coquettishly for a moment, she then took great delight in teasing him, "Doctor, I've just realised something."

"And what's that?" he asked her, his voice low.

"I saw you naked earlier today. Completely, completely naked."

He arched an eyebrow. "You only just realised this?"

"I was a bit distracted at the time," she pointed out. "What with that mad Frenchwoman trying to molest you and then kill me and everything."

"Oh, of course," he agreed graciously, his grin widening whilst his arms tightened around her middle.

"Anyway, point is, now that I've had time to reflect on the event," she continued, smiling wickedly at him as she stared deep into his eyes. "I've come to a conclusion that I think shall make you happy to know."

"And what's that?" he said again, tilting his head closer to hers.

She stood up on tiptoes to whisper in his ear, "You really_ are_ so impressive."

He chuckled deeply and whispered in her ear in return, "Sort of, yeah."

Rose giggled, and there was a slight pause, and then neither of them were sure who exactly moved first or how quickly but all of a sudden they were snogging rather passionately against the TARDIS doors.

After a few minutes, at some point during which the Doctor had hoisted one of her legs around his hip, Rose pushed against his chest slightly to break off their kiss. Panting, she murmured, "Do you reckon we ought to tell the Princes that they have a lunatic on their premises?"

He stared at her in confusion with a glazed-over expression. "What?"

"You know, that Adrienne woman!" she explained impatiently.

"Rose, are you seriously thinking about her right now?" he asked, his brows furrowing.

"No, but I just – you know – what if...I dunno, maybe she really is crazy and will start killing people, and - "

He shook his head, trying to clear his clouded thoughts. "Rose," he said quickly, interrupting her. "I'm sure the hundred guards they have inside the palace alone are well equipped to deal with her, should such a situation arise. Which I doubt it will."

Rose narrowed her eyes at him, then. "Why you?" she asked suspiciously. "Why is it always you who gets into situations like that?"

His lips quirked upwards and he squeezed her left thigh, which he was holding up, reassuringly. "Rose, I can promise you, the amount of times I've actually been in situations like that are very, very, very_ infinitesimally_ few."

She arched an eyebrow. "What about this?" she asked quietly.

"What about what?" he asked, confused again.

"_This_," she emphasised, glancing between them. She swallowed thickly. "How many times have you been in exactly _this _situation?"

His eyes widened. "Kissing someone against the TARDIS doors with their leg wrapped around my hip?" he checked for clarification.

"Yes, exactly."

He gave a little chuckle. "Pretty sure this is a first." He touched the wall of the TARDIS, then, murmuring a half-hearted apology to his ship for their nefarious activities in this particular location. He glanced back at Rose and waggled his eyebrows. "Though I'm sure the old girl doesn't really mind, seeing as it's you, and for some reason entirely unbeknownst to me, she likes you," he teased.

Rose smiled and looped her arms around his neck. "In that case..." she said softly, moving her mouth back to his.


	38. Snowstorm

_**Snowstorm**_

"Rose. Rose? Rose. Oh come on, Rose, don't be like this! Talk to me."

"Nope. I'm ignoring you."

"But _whyyyyy?" _he whined.

She didn't reply.

"Rose? Please talk to me. I'm bored."

Rose harrumphed but said nothing substantial. She rubbed at her arms, trying to stop shivering.

"At least hold my hand?" he asked hopefully, holding his hand up between them.

She stopped walking to turn and glare at him. "Doctor, I'm in a mood with you at the moment. Please shut up." Then she turned away from him again and resumed their brisk walk.

The Doctor remained still, staring after her with a puppy dog expression on his face. He glanced at his hand, still raised to take hers, and shoved it into his pocket with a huff. "You're going the wrong way, you know," he snapped.

She spun around. "What would you know? You're the one who got us lost in the middle of a snowstorm on a planet you didn't know _had _snow!"

"Technically, that wasn't a snow_storm - "_

Rose bent down and picked up a handful of snow. "This is snow, isn't it?"

"Well, _yes, _but - " This time he was cut off due to Rose throwing a snowball right in his face.

"Then we just survived a snowstorm. It's now freezing cold and my jacket really isn't that warm, thanks for asking."

"Rose, I gave you my scarf! A very, very long scarf that is very, very dear to me - "

"Very dear to you? It was at the bottom of those dimensionally transcendent pockets of yours!"

"Yes, exactly; I always carry it with me. Weeelll, except now, because – kind gentleman that I am – I've wrapped it around your neck to keep you warm."

Rose sighed. "Yes. Well. Thanks for that. But my arms are frostbitten."

"I don't think they are quite _that _cold - " He backpedalled when she fixed that glare on him again. " – I mean, here, have my coat," he offered, shrugging out of his overcoat.

The corner of her mouth quirked up. "Really?"

"Really," he nodded, smiling in relief that she seemed to be cheering up.

She bit her lip as she took it from him. "Are you sure? 'Cos if you're gonna freeze now, I feel bad..."

"No, no, I'm fine. Superior physiology." She looked dubious. "It's true!" he insisted. "I'll be fine. Put it on. Go on!"

Rose smiled at him gratefully as she slipped into his coat. "Thanks, Doctor."

"My pleasure," he grinned. He held out his hand. This time, she took it.

"So," she said. "_Any _idea where the TARDIS is?"

He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly as he looked around. "Everything in this forest looks the same in the snow, don't you think?"

She rolled her eyes. "That's a no, then?"

He gave her a sheepish look. "Sorry?"

"I'd've thought you were s'posed to have some sort of innate sense of direction, but then again, even if you are a Time Lord, you're still a man."

"Oi!"

"I'm just joking, Doctor. I'm sure you'll ask for directions should we cross paths with a stranger."

"Of course," he agreed. "Let's just...wander aimlessly for awhile, eh? We manage alright when we do that usually."

"That's true," Rose nodded, and they started to walk again. "Plus, we'd better keep moving or else our fingers will freeze off."

"You're so melodramatic," he chuckled, but suggested, "Why don't we just..." and demonstrated his meaning by putting their joined hands inside the pocket of his coat that she was wearing.

Rose raised an eyebrow. "There's nothing crawling around in here, is there? I'm always a bit wary of going in your pockets." She slipped her free hand into the other pocket slowly.

"Nah, no worries there."

Something furry touched Rose's free hand and she whipped it out quickly. "What was that, then?"

"Hmm? Oh, probably just the mouse."

"What!" she yelped. She wasn't scared of mice, but to think there was one in his pocket was a little disconcerting.

"It's not a _real _one, just a windup toy."

"Oh, okay," she giggled. She looked up then, feeling a flutter against her cheek. "Oh great. It's snowing again."

He winced. "Ah."

"We should've stayed in that cave."

"No, no, it's okay. If it gets as heavy as that snowstorm earlier, we'll just find shelter somewhere else."

"Ha!" she grinned triumphantly. "So you admit it was a snowstorm!"

The Doctor sighed long-sufferingly, his eyes twinkling with mirth. "Yes, _fine, _it was a snowstorm. Now, let's find somewhere to – oh. Would you look at that! How's that for luck, eh?" he grinned, nodding his head towards a little cabin nestled in the trees up ahead of them.

"It's probably the home of a witch or something," Rose muttered. "Very Hansel and Gretel."

"Nonsense," he dismissed, bumping his shoulder against hers. "Witches don't exist. Weeelll. Sort of. But anyway, we've defeated Daleks and whatnot – a witch is easy for us two."

She smiled to herself. "The stuff of legends."

"Exactly!" he grinned. Then he added, "Besides, we're definitely not brother and sister."

"What?"

"Just now, you said about Hansel and Gretel. We're not like them."

"Well, I know that," she replied, confused by the emphasis he was placing on her throwaway remark.

"Good. Just so we're clear," he nodded.

Her brow furrowed in confusion. "Doctor, what -"

"Shh, let's go and see if anyone's in," he distracted her, leading them closer to the cabin. Once they reached it, he knocked loudly on the door.

"We're asking for trouble," murmured Rose.

"And you love it," he countered. He looked down at her, grinned, and squeezed her hand.

She couldn't help but grin back. "Maybe I do," she relented.

No one had come to the door, so for a few moments the Doctor and Rose just stood there smiling silly smiles at each other, neither wanting to be the first to look away. Then, a shiver ran through Rose, even wrapped up in his coat and scarf as she was, and she glanced at the door. "Doesn't look like anyone's home," she said.

The Doctor looked up at the sky, watching the snowfall getting heavier by the minute. "Shall we - " he broke off his question as he looked back at Rose, because she was already turning the doorknob. "Rose Tyler," he grinned cheerfully, sounding proud.

She shrugged a shoulder. "Let's just poke our heads in to see." They did, and found the cabin empty but for a sofa bed already made up, blankets, a fireplace and a pile of wood. "Perfect," she smiled.

"Well, if anyone comes along, we'll just explain that we needed shelter and didn't think they'd mind, right?"

"Exactly. And if the witch tries to kill us, we'll run," Rose continued.

"Perfect," he agreed. He closed the door behind them, glad to get away from the reoccurring snowstorm. "I'll get the fire going," he offered, whilst Rose jumped onto the sofa bed and snuggled amongst the pillows and blankets.

Once he'd successfully got the fire going - which took him an absurd amount of time, really, if he was honest with himself - he turned around to face Rose and saw that she'd already nodded off. He grinned at the picture she made; the firelight glowing upon her soft features, her nose red from the cold, her hair slightly wet from the melted snowflakes...she looked lovely and peaceful and comfy. A pretty bundle of pink and yellow all wrapped up in his coat and scarf.

He shivered, and felt the overwhelming urge to cuddle her.

So, casually, he sniffed and glanced around, as if anyone were watching. Then, he toed out of his trainers and climbed onto the sofa bed beside her. His fingers twitched slightly, wanting to seek out her hand – but she had both of hers buried somewhere out of sight, no doubt holding the blanket around herself. Instead, he edged closer, and nudged her shoulder gently. "Rose?" he murmured softly.

"Mmmpf?" she replied sleepily, her eyes fluttering open.

"No, no, it's okay, you can go back to sleep, I just wanted to quickly ask you if you minded if I...well, you look all cosy and it's quite cold, even with the fire, so, uh, can I...?"

She closed her eyes again and lifted the blankets, encouraging him to join her. He smiled and tucked the blankets around them both, very pleased indeed when Rose snuggled up against him, flinging her arm around his waist. He rested his cheek against the top of her head and wrapped his arms around her, his hand gently stroking through her hair. He sighed contentedly. Then he felt Rose giggling against him. "Rose?" he asked curiously. "What are you laughing about?"

"You," she answered.

He frowned. "What've I done _now?"_

"Nothing, nothing," she assured him.

"No, no, come on, tell me."

"I was just thinking..."

"About what?"

"About us."

His eyes widened in alarm. "What about us?"

"Well, you."

"Me?"

"Yeah. You, uh...you're quite the cuddler." She paused, to see if he was going to say something; but he was rendered speechless, unsure whether she was saying that was a bad thing or not. She continued, "It's funny, 'cos...well, most of the time you're this massive kind of, I dunno, _presence, _like...important and amazing and the Oncoming Storm and _so _far above me I can't even..."

He shifted slightly so that he could lift her chin up to look at her face while she was speaking. "What are you on about?"

She sighed, uncertain how to explain it. "Well. It's just. You're a Time Lord, the _last _of the Time Lords. And you call yourself things like the highest authority in the universe and all that. And then there's the fact that some species are scared of your very name and on the other hand, some rejoice in it and treat you like a god. You're the most intelligent person I know and sometimes it's hard to not feel...tiny, in comparison to you."

"Don't be daft," he murmured. "Rose, you're the reason why I..."

"What?"

He shook his head slightly, not answering her question. "Rose, tell me what you are trying to say?"

"I'm trying to say that some days I forget all that."

"Yeah?" he asked, exhaling roughly.

"Yeah. Some days you don't act like the last of the Time Lords," she smiled softly.

He stroked a strand of her hair back from her eyes and tucked it behind her ear. "You want to know a secret?" he whispered.

"Okay," she whispered back.

"Some days, I don't feel like the last of the Time Lords."

"You don't?"

"Nope."

"Why?"

He swallowed hard. "Why do you think?"

"I don't know. What I do know is, when you do things like this to me..." Rose lifted her hand to his hair and ran it through it. His eyes widened. "Or this," she added, dropping her hand to his cheek, cupping it tenderly, feeling it heat up beneath her touch as a blush took over his face. "Or this," she repeated, wrapping her arm around him. She gave a light, playful squeeze and he stared at her.

"Or this?" he whispered, interrupting her before she could continue. He punctuated his question by tilting his head forwards and kissing her tenderly on the lips. He drew back almost immediately, a hopeful yet uncertain expression on his face.

"It makes me feel worthy of you," she finished softly, touching her mouth with her fingertips in disbelief at his action.

"Oh, Rose," he murmured, reaching for her hand and placing it back on his cheek. "You're completely wrong." She went rigid against him and narrowed her eyes, and he realised what he'd said could be taken an alternative way. "No! Wait, what I mean is, you've got it the wrong way around. It's me who doesn't deserve _you_, Rose Tyler. I never have done."

"Don't be silly," she replied.

"I like to pretend I do," he continued, a lump in his throat. "I like to pretend that we're good for each other. But the thing is, you're very, very good for me, and I'm terrible for you."

"Don't say that," she protested, shaking her head.

"It's true, though." He tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. "You've no idea how much I want to - " he broke off, swallowing hard.

"What, Doctor?" she prompted.

"How much I wish I could give you everything," he answered. He glanced away, awkwardly scratching the back of his neck.

To his surprise, Rose laughed. "You already do! What was it you said the other day? Something about the stars, that you want - "

"You to see every star in the sky," he finished for her. "Yeah. I do."

"There we are then. Everything's out there, and I'm lucky enough to be the one you're sharing it with. And I'm grateful, Doctor. I'm so, so grateful. There's nothing else I want."

The Doctor smiled half-heartedly and tilted his head so that his forehead pressed lightly against hers. He closed his eyes. "That will change," he murmured. "You're young now. But as you get older, the things you want out of life...it'll all change. And our different lifespans, Rose, it means that I can't give you everything, not really, because I can't give you enough _time._"

"It's not about giving me forever, Doctor, it's about living in the present and _pretending _we have forever."

The look in his eyes was heartbreaking. "That's all very well in the short term, but what about when I have to live on without you, hmmm?" he pointed out.

"I reckon I'm just gonna have to give you plenty of fantastic memories, yeah?" she smiled warmly. She traced his jaw line with the tips of her fingers. "You know that I..." she trailed off, and met his gaze meaningfully.

The Doctor gave a small nod, and whispered, "However selfish it is of me to say this, I hope you never stop."

Rose pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek and promised, "I'll never stop."

He turned his head to meet her mouth with his, and just before he kissed her, he promised back, "Me neither."

-:-

Later, watching a sleeping Doctor carefully in case he woke up and saw what she was doing before she was ready, a very naked Rose Tyler slipped the Doctor's shirt on, doing up a couple of buttons and reclining on the sofa bed temptingly, waiting for him to wake up and notice. She was patient at first. But after five minutes she couldn't wait any longer and kicked his leg lightly, muttering something about how _now he decides to play human and fall asleep. _

The Doctor opened his eyes, blinking wearily as he gathered his bearings. She watched in amusement as he shivered and glanced down at himself, realisation sweeping over his expression as he remembered he was naked in a cabin in the woods in the middle of a snowstorm. A slow smile crept onto his face as he thought about how he'd engaged in some rather pleasurable ways to pass the time with his best friend earlier on.

Rolling onto his side, he was startled to see Rose not asleep beside him but positioned like a goddess wearing nothing but his light blue shirt, smiling at him like the cat that got the canary.

"Blimey." He swallowed. "I do like seeing you wearing my clothes," he breathed out roughly.

She glanced at the floor. "Oops, sorry, I think everything else has been thrown to the other side of the room. Otherwise, I'd quite happily put your scarf and coat back on too." She smiled that flirty smile at him that made him turn to Time Lordy goo, the one with the tongue and the side of her mouth.

His eyes lit up as a thought struck him. "Ohhh yes," he murmured to himself.

"What are you smiling about?" she asked curiously.

"Just imagining what you'd look like wearing nothing but my coat. It's a very delectable image."

"Well, it is a very sexy coat," she replied.

"And you're a very, very sexy Rose Tyler," he added.

"Well then," she continued, her expression mischievous. "Perfect match. We'll have to test your theory out later."

"Indeed. But right now, I'd like to test another theory out. One that I have been hypothesising about for a rather long time."

"Oh yeah?" she asked, giggling in delight when he crawled over to her and pulled her against him. "What's this one, then?"

"Weeelll, a while ago I think you'll recall that I acquired a bit of a habit of licking things..."


	39. The Rosette Nebula

_The Rosette Nebula_

"Here we go. _The Rosette Nebula. _What do you think?" he asked excitedly, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet.

Rose stared out of the TARDIS doors in awe. "It's beautiful!" she murmured. "Absolutely beautiful."

He beamed in triumph and held out his hand. "Shall we sit and look at it for a bit?"

"Yeah," she nodded dazedly, taking his hand. They sat down, their legs dangling out of the TARDIS doors.

"So," began the Doctor nervously, clearing his throat.

"Hmm?"

"You mentioned, earlier, about it being..." He sniffed awkwardly. "You know."

"Valentine's Day?" she supplied distractedly, still staring at the nebula.

"Yeah, that," he agreed, then lowered his voice to murmur, "So, um. I thought that this would...well, that it would...it's still sort of cliché, I suppose, being that it looks like a rose and everything, but I just thought it'd at least be a bit better than being unoriginal and giving you a bouquet..." he trailed off, tugging at his ear with his free hand.

Rose's brow furrowed and she slowly turned her head to look at him. Taking in his anxious expression, she started to smile slowly. "Wait a minute, are you saying that this is a Valentine's Day gift?"

He nodded briefly.

"For me?"

He nodded again.

"From _you?" _she asked, trying not to giggle.

He mock-scowled at her disbelieving expression. "Yes," he clarified firmly. "Is that...alright?"

"Course it is," she laughed, bumping her shoulder against his. "Just never expected you to make a gesture like that. I mean, I know you've shown me stuff like this before, but saying that this one's for Valentine's Day...well, it's kind of romantic."

"You don't think I'm romantic?"

"Not really, no," she grinned, tongue between teeth.

"I'm taking you somewhere else after this," he decided.

"Where's that, then?"

"Belgium."

"Belgium?"

"The planet, not the country. Now _that _is where you get the best chocolate in the universe, Rose Tyler."

She smiled at him warmly but couldn't help but ask, "Why are you doing all this, then?"

He met her gaze steadily. "Why do humans partake in the holiday?"

"Well, to...to..." Rose started, then swallowed thickly. He smiled sheepishly at her and an unspoken part of their conversation seemed to pass between them in an instant. They shared a quiet, silly giggle, and then she hurried on, "Think it's all got a bit out of hand back home, really. Too commercialised and everything. This is...this is much better. I like your idea of romance."

"Good," he said simply, squeezing her hand. She turned her head to watch the nebula again. He continued watching her.

"People get way too sappy about it, too," she said next. "I mean, who needs a card full of gushy poetry and a massive teddy bear holding a heart?"

He shrugged. "Some people like that sort of thing. Not me. Other people."

"I don't," she murmured. "It's too...in your face. Know what I mean? Like...surely it's just...better to be subtle about it? I got so embarrassed once at school, when this boy gave me an ornament of two bears with their noses kissing, and written at the bottom was 'Be Mine.' It was in front of _everyone, _and I just wanted to run away," she laughed. "I blush just thinking about it!"

"How old were you and the boy at this point?" he asked, chuckling.

"Seven," she informed him grandly.

He chuckled even more, at that. "You do like bears, though. You have one in your room, I've seen it."

"Yeah, but what seven year old wants an _ornament _of one? Plus, I think I was a little young to 'be' anyone's back then," she pointed out. "And going back to my earlier point about the massive teddy bear, who has room for one of those? Besides, it'd get lonely. Better to have two little ones that can keep each other company."

"I am in awe of the way your mind works," he retorted good naturedly.

"Ta," she replied, briefly flashing him a grin.

"Well," he declared, as though he'd just been enlightened of something fascinating. "It certainly seems as though for humans, nothing's better for saying 'I love you' than a teddy bear." He let go of her hand and reached into his pocket. When he realised she wasn't quite paying attention to him, he coughed meaningfully and tossed a brown, fluffy teddy bear at her.

She looked down at where it had landed in her lap and laughed. "Where'd this come from?"

"My pocket," he replied, as though she were being dim.

"Yeah, but where did it come from _before _it was in your pocket?"

"A shop," he replied.

She raised her eyebrows, asking for some elaboration.

He sighed theatrically and explained, "Remember when we stopped off at Cardiff the other day to refuel? Got it then."

She smiled widely. "Is this for me?"

"Well I wouldn't've given it to you if it wasn't, would I?" he scoffed.

"So I have a Welsh teddy?"

He laughed and took hold of her hand again, entwining their fingers. "Yes. You do. It's to keep the one in your room company."

"How'd I never realise you were so adorable?" she teased, tickling his neck with the bear.

He squirmed, chuckling, and warned, "Don't tickle me while where sitting like this, I might end up in the middle of space."

"As if I'd let you fall," grinned Rose. "No but seriously, why have you suddenly gone all...gooey?"

"Gooey?"

"Yeah. First the rose-shaped nebula, then planning a trip to Belgium the planet for some chocolate, now the teddy bear..." She arched an eyebrow suspiciously. "What's next? A massage in a bath full of rose petals?"

His eyes widened. "No!" he assured her. Then he tilted his head to the side, contemplative. "Hadn't thought of that, actually."

"Doctor," she said slowly. "Has someone taken control of your mind?"

"Nope," he denied. "Completely and positively me."

"Completely and positively mad, more like," she joked.

"I drew the line at gushy poetry, though," he pointed out.

"Yeah, that would've been going overboard," she agreed, smirking.

"I just..."

"What?" she prompted softly.

"I s'pose I just got this silly idea into my head and I...wanted to counteract it."

"What silly idea?"

He swallowed hard and admitted, "You're going to think I'm daft."

"I already think you're daft, remember? Just tell me."

"Alright, alright. Well. The other night, see, I was asleep."

"Really?" Rose gasped, in mock-wonder.

"Hush, I haven't _finished," _he moaned. "Anyway. I had this dream. And in this dream..." He paused.

"Yeah? Come on, Doctor; the suspense is killing me," she teased.

"You got married."

"Blimey, sure this wasn't a nightmare?"

"Well exactly," he agreed. "You were married to this human bloke, don't know who, he wasn't important, really, but he was human and he was normal, and thus by default boring, obviously, and still you married him and the reason why you married him was because...because..." He trailed off again, staring at her with this sort of hopeless look on his face that told her he _really _didn't want to say his next sentence.

"Because _what?" _

"Because there was a challenge, you see...kind of a, I dunno, competition or whatever. And I wouldn't...and he would...and so you..."

"Doctor, you can't keep leaving words out of your sentence, it makes no sense."

"You know what I'm trying to say," he insisted. "Really, though, you do. Just like you knew what I was trying to say earlier."

Rose sighed heavily. "Fine, if you're not gonna tell me," she replied ruefully, and looked back out at the nebula, refusing to meet his gaze. He tugged on her hand and said her name a few times to try and regain her attention. She ignored him.

"_Rose," _he whined. Still no response. He huffed under his breath, "Don't see why it should be me doing all the work, anyway..."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she snapped, looking back at him finally.

"Well, here I am giving you romantic gifts and trying to tell you romantic things and all you're doing is sitting there! You could help me out a bit and actually _say _something yourself for a change."

"Me?" she laughed. "Me?"

"Yes, _you," _he replied. "How am I supposed to get the courage to tell you how I feel if I have absolutely no clue what you're going to say in response, hmm?"

"You're the one who's a time travelling alien hundreds of years older than me," she retorted. "You're the one whose spaceship I live in, you're the one who takes me to all these places. As much as I'd like to think of us as equals for the good of my dignity, the fact is, _you're _the one who is the position of utmost authority and _you're _the one who sets the boundaries of our relationship."

"Yeah, and _you're _the one who's made me completely disregard those boundaries since the very first day you stepped on the TARDIS!" he countered.

"Well _you're _the one who's supposed to tell me whether that's okay or not, or whether it would be better to just...stay as we are."

"Trouble with that is, I've got no idea what 'stay as we are' means, Rose Tyler. What even are we? How in the universe could either of us ever _begin _to describe what we are?"

Rose opened her mouth to answer then promptly shut it. She glanced at the teddy bear in her hand and couldn't think of a single thing to reply with.

"Exactly," he said.

"I know what we aren't, does that help?" she mumbled.

He raised his eyebrows. "Ah, the old via negativa approach. Go on then, what aren't we?"

"Well," she began, once more looking into space rather than his face to feign nonchalance. "We aren't just Time Lord and pet human. At least, I hope not." He scoffed quietly and her lips quirked up. "We aren't just acquaintances or travelling companions. We aren't even just friends...but then, we aren't lovers either, nor are we married, arch enemies, or relatives."

He laughed softly. "Perish the thought. The relative thing and the enemy thing, I mean," he added hurriedly, in case he'd offended her.

She glanced back at him with a wry smile. "I don't think the marriage thing's particularly your cup of tea, either, is it?"

"Well actually, Rose, we did sort of get married already, remember?"

"Oh, you mean that pagan festival thing on the planet Ferdoro?"

"That's the one."

"They made nice cake," she recalled.

"Very nice cake," he agreed. "Odd rituals, though."

"Yeah, I never thought my groom would have to wade through a lake of treacle to prove his worth..." she mused.

"I tasted a bit of that treacle, though; it was delicious. Made its unpleasant stickiness which ruined my poor converses worth it."

"We aren't though."

"What's that?"

"Married. I mean, I know we stumbled into that ceremony and everything, so in a way we did get married, but one of the old women warned me that if we didn't, ahem, _consummate _such a ceremony before sunset, the marriage wouldn't be legally binding," she smiled, waggling her eyebrows.

"Well why didn't you say so!" he joked.

They laughed for a few seconds and then stopped abruptly, unable to meet each other's eye, the atmosphere quickly turning a little awkward. They simultaneously cleared their throats.

"Rose," he murmured, after a short period of silence. "You know that I..."

"Don't do that sort of thing. Yeah," she filled in for him.

"Oh. Actually, that wasn't what I was going to say."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"So...wait, you _do _do that sort of thing?"

"What sort of thing?"

She rolled her eyes. "You _know _what sort of thing."

"I...could be persuaded - " he answered carefully.

"That doesn't sound particularly promising," she muttered.

" – providing you don't think it would, um. Ruin things."

"Wait, what?"

"Well. Doesn't that aspect sometimes...destabilise other aspects?"

"Only if you're rubbish," she joked, before she could stop herself. She felt a bit guilty, however, when she realised the Doctor was blushing. "That was just a joke. I'm sure you aren't...and if you are, I mean, what would it matter, really? Our friendship is strong enough to withstand anything, even that, and oh god I'm babbling like you now, just ignore me." She felt all flustered, and broke his gaze.

There was a tense silence for a few moments, before the Doctor let out a deep breath and spoke determinedly, "What I mean is, Rose, we have something...indescribably, unimaginably, fantastically brilliant. I don't want us to lose that. Ever."

"Me neither," she replied quietly.

"So..."

"So...?"

"_So..._do you think there's a risk of that? Losing what we already have if we try and..." He paused, and cleared his throat, evidently very embarrassed and out of his depth. "Take things further?"

"I don't know, Doctor," she answered honestly. She met his intent gaze. "Do you?"

"I don't know either," he admitted.

"Right."

"Yeah."

"So we're kind of stuck, then."

"Yep," he agreed, popping the 'p.'

They both let out a sigh, and stared back out at the nebula again. "This really is very beautiful," Rose whispered. She squeezed his hand. "Thank you for showing it to me."

"You're welcome," he replied, stroking his thumb over hers. "Shall I set the coordinates for Belgium, then?"

"The planet not the country?"

"The planet not the country," he confirmed.

She gave him a dazzling smile. "Yes please."

He beamed back at her and jumped up, tugging her up with him. "I actually should warn you about something, though."

Rose arched an eyebrow, curious. "What's that, then?"

Holding onto her elbows to keep her steady, he leant forwards to murmur in her ear, "The chocolate there is _so _good that you might not be able to resist."

"Resist what?" she asked, a bit breathless.

"Taking a few risks."

"Thought you didn't want to risk it?" she whispered back.

"Perhaps that's why I need you to do it for me."

Rose lifted her arms up and looped them around his neck, tilting her head back to look him in the eye. "Doctor."

"Yes?"

"I would _love _to be your risk-taker."

He wet his lips and then smiled slowly. "Then I suppose..."

"What?"

"You could, perhaps, maybe, start now."

"Taking risks?"

"Yep. If...if you're so inclined."

She stood on her tiptoes and leant closer to him. "You want me to kiss you?"

His hands slipped down her sides to grasp her hips gently. "Yes."

"What about Belgium?"

"We can still do that."

"But...after I've kissed you," she checked for clarification.

"Yes," he whispered breathlessly. "After...that."

"What if the kiss feels weird?" she teased, still inching closer.

"Then we stop and pretend it didn't happen and things won't be ruined."

"What if we don't realise that the kiss feels weird until tomorrow?" she pointed out.

"Then...well, that could be awkward."

"Okay. Well. Only one way to find out, I guess."

"Exactly," he replied.

"Here goes," she added, sliding her hands into his hair.

"You don't have to make it sound as though you're bracing yourself for something unpleasant," he huffed, but she ignored his whining and pressed her lips to his the instant his last adjective had been spoken.

And once she'd started kissing him, she couldn't really bring herself to stop. He certainly wasn't complaining. As the kiss grew from an uncertain, tender passion to an altogether more intense heat, he slowly guided her backwards until he'd pushed her up against a coral strut. With the Rosette Nebula their backdrop, they continued to kiss for a rather significant amount of time; in fact, about the time it took for Rose to run out of air and for the Doctor's respiratory bypass to need to kick in.

She finally tore her mouth away, panting for oxygen. "Well then," she murmured, her voice shaky.

"Indeed," he replied, just as breathless.

"It didn't...it didn't feel weird, to me," she said hurriedly. "Did it feel weird to you?"

He was already leaning in for another go. "Definitely not," he answered, before closing the distance between them again.

* * *

_A/N: __ Google image the Rosette Nebula. Seriously, it's staggeringly beautiful. I wish I could go into space and see it for real, I really do._

_Reviews much appreciated, as always :)_

_love, __Laura x_


	40. Slow

_**Slow**_

It was about midnight by the time they returned to the TARDIS after celebrating the Queen's coronation. The Doctor bounded up the ramp to the console, still full of energy, and quickly fiddled with the radio. Rose slumped down on the jumpseat, knackered, and groaned when the Doctor turned around to tug her up with an enthusiastic grin. "Let's dance," he suggested.

"We've been dancing all night! I'm so tired. Do you realise how sore my feet are from wearing these heels all day?" she protested, but she let him sweep her along and twirl her about nevertheless.

"It's our song," he told her, as Glenn Miller blared out of the TARDIS console. "We _have _to dance to it. Plus, look at this dress of yours! It's perfect for this song, all spinny-outy and twirly-whirly." He dipped her and she giggled. "You can go to bed after this song, alright? Just this one dance, then sleepytime for the human."

"Fine," she relented, sighing in mock exasperation, and then woke herself up a bit with an energetic jive.

Things didn't quite go according to his plan, though, as Rose discovered when they carried on dancing through the next song, and the next, until they paused to arch an eyebrow at each other when a song with a much slower tempo came on. It only took a few seconds of mischievous gazing at each other before the Doctor had repositioned their hold of one another to begin a romantic waltz. They had the steps perfect, but Rose's persistent giggling at the Doctor's attempts to look serious ruined the romantic vibe he was going for. Still, he was rather enamoured with the way Rose Tyler laughed, so all was well.

After a minute or so of non-romantic-but-rather-giggly slow dancing, Rose quietened, and when the Doctor drew her closer, she rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. He looked down at her as he slowed their dance to more of a gentle sway back and forth, and his breath blew lightly against her hair. He wrapped both of his arms around her waist and held her, sensing she was on the brink of sleep standing upright.

"Rose?" he whispered, blowing a few strands of her hair upwards. It tickled his nose, and he smiled.

"Mmm?" she murmured back.

"I think you're nearly falling asleep, aren't you?"

"Mmhmm," she agreed, looping her arms around his neck. "But this is nice," she continued. "I like dancing with you."

Strictly speaking they weren't even dancing, now. They were simply standing still in an extended hug, both eager to prolong the embrace. But neither brought this fact up.

"I like dancing with you, too," he replied softly. "But perhaps we should continue this tomorrow, if you're gonna end up dozing off in my arms in a second."

"I think I'd like to doze off in your arms," she said, and her tone sounded both cheeky and slightly shy, and the Doctor hid his grin in the hair atop her head. "I like it when you do that, too."

"What's that?" he asked, clearing his throat when he realised his voice sounded a little hoarse.

"When you nuzzle the top of my head with your nose," she replied, then yawned widely. "I like that."

His eyes widened. "Oh. Um. Right."

"Sometimes you even kiss me," she said next. "I like that, too. You should do it more, but aim for my lips next time."

"Rose, have you been drinking?"

She giggled into his shoulder. "Nope. I'm just tired. I say silly things when I haven't slept for twenty-odd hours."

"Come on, let's get you to bed," he said gently, suppressing his chuckles. "I promise I'll let you sleep as long as you like, and I won't even jump on your bed in the morning to wake you up too early."

She tightened her grip on him to stop him from letting go of her and forcing her to move. "It's okay, I like it when you do that."

He smirked and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Fuels the fantasies, does it?" he asked cheekily.

She opened her eyes and tilted her head to look up at him. "You've no idea," she replied, flashing him teasing grin. They stared intently at each other for a few long moments. "Thank you," she said suddenly, softly.

His brow furrowed in bemusement. "What for?"

"Saving me today. I mean, I know it was mostly Tommy who did all the work..." she teased.

"Oi! I'll have you know that _I _was the one who climbed up the tower at Alexandra Palace during the Queen's coronation."

She smiled and dropped one of her arms from his neck to touch her fingertips to his tie. Instead of holding his gaze, her eyes flickered to watch her hand trace the silky swirly pattern. "I love this tie," she murmured.

"Weeelll, you're just saying that because you bought it for me," he countered.

"That I did. For your not-birthday. You have to admit, it was your best present," she smiled.

"Why of course. The fact that it was my only not-birthday present doesn't come into it, obviously."

"Obviously," she agreed. Then she added, "You didn't get me anything for my not-birthday."

"I got you something for your _actual _birthday. And I saved your life today. Doesn't that count?"

"Nope."

"What about the fact that I was going to take you to see Elvis?"

"Didn't get there, doesn't count," she proclaimed ruefully.

"I'll take you tomorrow," he promised.

"Ah, but will you?" she smirked. "Or is that just you being a tease?"

"Rose Tyler," he gently admonished.

She lifted her gaze again and said, clearly and honestly, "I'd really like you to stay with me tonight."

"You would?" he asked roughly, his throat suddenly dry.

Rose nodded. She glanced down again to admit, "I...I worry that I'll wake up in the middle of the night, in the dark, and sort of need to just, check you're still here or whatever. It's silly, I know, I just...would you stay? So that I know where you are and that I'm...safe?"

"Okay," he agreed. "Yes."

"Thank you," she murmured gratefully.

The Doctor placed one of his hands over the one that rested on his chest, interlinking their fingers. He nodded his head towards the corridor out of the console room. "Shall we?"

They walked to her bedroom hand-in-hand, Rose leaning against him slightly in her tiredness. Once inside, Rose let go of his hand and wandered over to her dressing table to sort out her hair and remove her pink headband and earrings. She noticed the Doctor watching her in the reflection of the mirror, and for a long moment their eyes met. She glanced away first, and quickly removed her mascara using a makeup wipe. She then bent down to take off her shoes, sighing contentedly once her feet were free from the heels. As she discarded her blue jacket, she stood up and turned back to the Doctor, and found him standing in the same position he'd been in since they'd entered her room.

"Can you unzip my dress for me?" she asked quietly.

A blush spread across his cheeks when he realised he'd been staring at her, somewhat mesmerised, and that she'd noticed. "Of – of course," he stammered, feeling as though he'd been thrown off-kilter. He stepped closer to her and motioned for her to turn around. Locating the zip, he pulled it down slowly, trying not to be too obvious about the fact that he was now staring at the inches of bare back he uncovered as each tooth of the zip sounded its obtrusive connotations into the tense silence of the room.

"Thank you," she whispered, once he'd successfully unzipped her. He nodded, swallowing thickly, and – sitting down on her bed – he looked away from her for a few minutes whilst she undressed and slipped into her pyjamas. He felt the bed dip as she climbed in, and turned to lie down next to her.

"Doctor," she said, getting comfortable. She closed her eyes and murmured, "Take your shoes off."

The Doctor, chuckling, did as he was told. He also removed his jacket and tie, placing them both over bedpost at the foot of the bed. He settled down beside her again and closed his own eyes. "Night, Rose Tyler."

She didn't reply, because she'd already fallen asleep. The TARDIS helpfully switched off the lights for them, plunging the room into darkness.

-:-

Two short hours later, the Doctor woke up with a start, bolting upright, his breathing laboured. His clenched fists bunched up the duvet and he tried to catch his breath, his hearts beating frantically. Within moments, he felt two arms he knew well wrap around him, slowly rocking him back and forth. She pressed soft kisses to his temple and hairline and was murmuring calming words about how everything was alright, because she was here, and he could talk to her, and he should let her help him, and she would hold him and she was there, she was definitely, completely there, and he pushed her backwards until her head touched her pillow and he followed her, finding her lips in the dark with his, kissing her firmly, hurriedly, passionately, as though he feared she would disappear from beneath him.

He felt the moment she stopped being surprised and started kissing him back, and it shocked him into realisation.

He lifted his head, easing out of the kiss, and gasped softly, holding himself above her. "Oh Rassilon," he whispered. "I'm so sorry, Rose, I didn't – I didn't mean to – to – to do that, I'm sorry, Rose, I...Rose..."

"Hey, shh, shh, it's alright," she whispered back. She gently pushed against his shoulder so that he fell onto his back, and wrapped her arm around his middle, snuggling against him. "It's alright, everything's alright. Tell me what happened, if you want. Or don't. It's up to you."

He swallowed. Her head was now pillowed on his chest and lifted his hand to stroke through her hair, getting himself back under control, evening out his breathing. "It was just a dream," he whispered, to reassure himself as well as her. "Just a dream. A horrible, terrible dream, but still just a dream."

He closed his eyes and then snapped them back open, as all he saw on the backs of his eyelids was the image of Rose, faceless yet somehow screaming as she was engulfed in darkness and then reduced to dust. He felt sick whenever he remembered the pain of that moment on the Gamestation, with the Anne-droid, when he thought he saw Rose die right in front of him. Now, with his subconscious combining this with the Wire's games earlier, he nearly cried out in agony. In fact, from the way his throat ached, he suspected he had indeed cried out.

"Rose," he murmured hoarsely. "Did I...did I say things, during my dream...?"

Her grip on him tightened and she took a moment to respond. "You were just..."

"What?"

"Saying my name, over and over, groaning and..." she answered slowly, quietly. She tried to lighten the mood and added, "And not in the fun way."

He smiled at her addition in spite of the situation, which, knowing her, was her intention anyway. "I'm sorry if I scared you."

"I wasn't scared, I was – am – worried about you. What's going on, Doctor?"

He sighed heavily and then confessed, "I'm just so very, very frightened of losing you. My subconscious mind sometimes goes to a dark place and plays on that fear for its own amusement while I sleep. But I'm fine, because you're here." He slipped his hand down to hers and caressed her wrist slightly before pressing his fingers against her pulse point. "And I can feel your heart beating, and I can feel your breath on my neck, and hear you talking, and it's all real. The dream was an illusion and you're the reality and let me tell you this, you are far, far better to believe in than any of the silly old nonsense my brain imagines in my sleep."

"How often do your dreams have such horrible things - how often is a dream of yours so powerful that it wakes you up in the middle of the night, and you're there in your bed panting for breath and crying out and - ?"

To her surprise, the Doctor chuckled nervously, interrupting her. "Two different questions there, Rose."

"What do you mean?"

He brushed the back of his hand across her cheekbone tenderly. "I'm sure you can do some deducting and work that out for yourself." He felt a blush rise in her cheeks and coughed awkwardly, continuing, "In the meantime, thank you. Thank you for being so wonderful about this. I'm sorry that you had to see me like that. And I'm sorry about the, uh, kissing thing. Totally irresponsible of me, losing control like that. I apologise profusely."

"Don't," she murmured.

"Don't what?"

"Don't apologise for the kiss. You don't have to."

"Oh." He paused, uncertain of her implication. "So...things aren't gonna be awkward between us, then?"

"Are you planning on kissing me again?" she countered nonchalantly.

He couldn't tell from her tone which answer she wanted from him. "Erm. Well. Well...I, uh, I wouldn't say I was planning it, no."

Rose relaxed her hold on him slightly and sighed. "Right."

The Doctor's hearts sped up again because, if his suspicions were correct, Rose sounded a tad disappointed. He continued with his answer, "Because obviously, I don't plan anything, do I, eh? I make it up as I go along. More fun that way. Bit of, um, spontaneity is good, right?"

She was silent for a few seconds, and the Doctor hoped she understood what he was trying to say.

Then, she lifted her head from his chest and assured him, "No awkwardness between us." She paused, and bit her lip, then added, "And you can spontaneously kiss me whenever you like, just so you know. Apart from right now, 'cos I'm still really tired and need to sleep."

The Doctor smiled. "Don't worry; I'll get you when you least expect it," he teased.

Rose giggled and laid her head back on his chest, closing her eyes. "I'm counting on it," she replied.

They slept, without further interruption and with their arms wrapped securely around each other, for another eight and a half hours.


	41. Spooning

**Spooning**

**::**

Rose awoke to the sound of her door creaking open. Not moving from her position facing the opposite wall, she murmured, "Doctor? What's up?"

The Doctor crept over to her bed as quietly as possible, dodging the bits of clothing and things strewn about her floor. "I'm bored," he whispered back.

She giggled into her pillow. "It's the middle of the night."

"Can't sleep," he replied. She felt the mattress dip as he sat down beside her.

"Go tinker with the console or something," she suggested, her words muffled through a yawn.

"I want to talk to you."

"It's the middle of the night," she reiterated. "I've only slept for a few hours. Wake me up at eight."

He sighed heavily and reclined on the bed, on top of the duvet, staring at the back of her head. "Can't you sleep on your other side so you can face me?" he asked hopefully.

"I'm comfy like this," she protested. "Look, how can you be bored? You've got a massive time machine filled with interesting rooms. Go swimming or something."

"On my own? Where's the fun in that?"

She rolled her eyes. "Well, I dunno, can't you just...fly us somewhere and go and explore? Then when I get up at a reasonable hour, you can come back and get me and take me to an interesting place you've found."

"Once again, I reply; on my own? Where's the fun in that?"

"You've been on your own plenty of times," she reminded him softly.

"Yes, exactly," he retorted. "Now I've got you I don't have to be."

Rose bit her lip, worried that she'd upset him. "Sorry, Doctor. I know. It's just...surely no one wants to spend every single second of the day with someone else?"

He was silent for a moment, but then whispered, "Don't they?"

"Nope. And you don't, either, not really. If we actually spent every second of the day together, I'd drive you mad. Or you'd get bored with me."

"Rubbish," he sniffed, offended. He trailed a fingertip slowly down her bare upper arm, unable to resist the temptation. "Wait, do I drive you mad? Bore_ you?_"

She giggled and reached her hand up to entwine with the one resting against her shoulder. "Maybe," she teased gently.

He shifted closer so that they could hold hands more easily, resting them against her stomach as his arm wrapped around her. "Suppose I'll just have to get more impressive, then," he countered.

"S'pose you'd better," she laughed. There was a brief pause, before she asked, "Doctor?"

"Hmm?" he murmured close to her ear. He propped up on his elbow on her pillow, the hand of that arm dangling down to run through her hair.

"Are you spooning me?"

"Nope," he denied swiftly.

"Feels like it."

"Just...hugging you. That's all," he assured her.

"Horizontally."

"Yes, exactly. A horizontal hug. Ooh, that's quite fun to say. Horizontal hug. So! Are you awake now?"

"I'm not getting up before dawn, Doctor."

"Well, time's relative on the - "

"Don't care."

He chuckled. "Don't worry, you don't have to get up. I just wanted to talk to you, remember? That's all."

"Why?"

"I already said. Because I'm bored and can't sleep."

"So you thought you'd come in here and spoon me?" she said, turning her head to regard him with an arched eyebrow.

"Not spooning," he corrected. "Spooning suggests...nefarious intent."

"Doesn't have to," she said, meeting his gaze intently. "Friends can...spoon, too."

"Really?"

"Yep."

"Oh. Okay, then."

She turned her head back to face the wall, hiding her grin from him. She let go of his hand and his arm stayed around her. In fact, his palm flattened against her bare stomach, where her vest top had ridden up, and tugged her back against him more firmly. His hand in her hair stilled.

Rose cleared her throat. "So, what do you want to talk about?" she asked him nonchalantly.

"I don't mind," he replied.

"Doctor."

"Yeah?"

"Are you wearing your suit?"

"No. Pyjamas. Why? What's that got to do with anything?"

"Nothing, no reason," she assured him. "Just making sure you've not got your converses on my bed, that's all."

"Oh, no, wouldn't dare do that," he replied teasingly. "Not after last time when you had a go at me."

"Those sheets were clean on and you _jumped on my bed in your shoes, _getting mud all over them!" she retorted.

"I apologise," he grinned. "But don't worry. Just socks on today. See?" To prove it, he flung his leg over hers to show her.

Rose nodded, even though she couldn't actually see his foot in the dark. "Okay, I believe you." She smirked when he left his leg where it was. "Definitely spooning me now," she noted.

"So what if I am?" he replied. "You said friends do that."

"Sure you haven't got nefarious intent?"

"Of course I'm sure. If I had nefarious intent I would've got beneath the duvet with you."

"Oh yeah," she mumbled. "Good point."

There was a tense silence for a few seconds.

"Unless..." he began quietly.

"Unless what?"

"Unless it was a double bluff," he suggested hurriedly, rushing through the words.

Rose's pulse quickened. "What?"

"Nothing."

"No, go on – what did you mean by that?"

"Nothing."

"Doctor," she muttered, irritated. "Why do you never say what you really mean?"

"That's not true," he replied.

"It is sometimes."

"Sometimes it's easier."

"Why?"

"Because...because I'm a coward," he whispered. "Because you're my best friend. Because you're much more than that and I don't know how to tell you."

Rose swallowed hard. "Where's all this coming from?" she murmured back.

"I don't know."

She turned her head to look at him over her shoulder. "Do you..."

"Do I what?" he replied, his voice rough.

Rose turned on her bedside lamp. Then, she rolled over in his arms to face him properly and abandoned her question in favour of a different one. "Why did you come here tonight? Tell me the truth."

The Doctor cupped her face gently, stroking his thumb across her cheekbone. "I was sitting in the console room having an argument with myself," he admitted.

She raised an eyebrow. "About what?"

"You," he answered simply.

"And...?"

"And part of me thinks you could never...but then the other part of me thinks you might...and I...well, only you could tell me which part is right, so I thought...I thought I'd come to you and figure it out."

"Could never what? Might _what?" _she persisted.

"Rose, I understand the chemistry of it," he tried to explain. "And the biological reactions and...and all that. I read up on it – the TARDIS library now has a collection of reference books on it. So, I understand the how. Increased respiration, blood pressure, heart rate. Oxytocin release. Dilated pupils. Even the way you fiddle with your earring. What I _don't _understand – and thus can never be completely sure if I'm just seeing what I want to see – is the _why. _Because - "

"Doctor," Rose interrupted slowly. He paused and looked at her, patiently waiting for her to continue. "Are you seriously saying that...that...you've had to read books to figure out if I..."

"Had to make sure that I was, uh, receiving the right signals, so to speak," he mumbled, tugging his ear awkwardly.

"These books...what, um. Just so that we're on the same wavelength here, I need to make sure. What are these books about, exactly?"

"Human..." he said, then muttered something very quietly.

"Sorry?"

"Human arousal," he clarified, a little louder.

"Right," she breathed out roughly. "And you...er. You got into bed with me to tell me this because...?"

"Ah. Well. That's, um, an interesting point, you see."

"Is it?"

"Yes."

"And what's that?"

He exhaled a deep breath and explained, stuttering hopelessly, "You act as though you want...want...things."

Rose unconsciously wet her lips.

"See!" he pointed out triumphantly. "Like that, see, that's – that's in the book!"

"What is?"

"The licking the lips thing! And...so is, the uh, the way you're looking at me right now, and..." he continued, watching as Rose started to smile mischievously. "And...that smile of yours seems very nefarious indeed..."

She laughed and snuggled closer to him to whisper in his ear, "Got any Time Lord reference books for me to read?"

His eyebrows lifted. "I...don't think you need any."

"No?"

"No," he assured her. "Surely I have been rather obvious in what I..."

"What you...?" she prompted, tilting her head back to look at him again.

"Want," he gulped.

Rose grinned. "Okay, well let's say that I _am _aware of what you...want. My question is, how long have you wanted what you want, and why the sudden declaration of wanting what you want?"

"Awhile and not sure."

She slipped her arm around him and drew a circle on his back with her fingertip absently as she replied, "Were you thinking about it? Is that why you had to arrive in my bedroom and wake me up?"

"I was merely...contemplating how such a...turn of events...might possibly affect our friendship..."

"And what did you conclude about that?"

"I concluded that we'll never know until we try, so we might as well give it a go," he sniffed nonchalantly.

"Could all go terribly, terribly wrong," Rose pointed out. "Might complicate things. Especially for you, Mr Don't Do Domestic."

"Rose, I've fallen in love with a human eight hundred and eighty one years younger than me. I don't think things can get more complicated than that, to be quite honest."

They stared at each other in silence for a moment while Rose digested that. He didn't seem to realise what he'd said until she mumbled, "Did you just say...?"

"No!" he assured her quickly, his eyes widening in horror. "Nope, no, no, no, said nothing of the sort, no, just ignore me, didn't mean it, stupid Time Lord hasn't slept for a week, not thinking straight, and you're in your pyjamas, and I'm in my pyjamas, and we're both in the same bed and, um, just forget I - "

"Doctor," she interrupted him. "Breathe. Breathing's good, alright? Calm down."

"Oh...kay," he mumbled slowly. "Sooo..."

"You really are a bit daft sometimes, aren't you?" she murmured affectionately, lifting her hand from his back to run through his hair gently.

"Maybe?" he offered sheepishly.

"You don't say things you don't mean," she said carefully. "Not to me. Not anymore. And not things like that. If you said it, then you must, somewhere deep down, have meant it."

He closed his eyes and pressed his forehead against hers. "Doesn't it terrify you?" he whispered.

"What?" she whispered back.

"This," he answered, squeezing her middle, drawing her even closer to him. "What we've become. Doesn't that scare you? It scares me. It scares me so _much,_ and makes me do stupid things, reckless things, and I'm sorry and I love - "

"Yes," she answered softly. "Yeah, I'm scared too."

He opened his eyes again. "Rose?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think, maybe, that even though it's terrifying, and probably not a good idea, really, we could, well, kiss and things anyway?"

"Kiss _and things," _she smiled. "Yeah, I like the sound of that."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. So. If I were to...do this," he murmured, tilting his head down and placing a soft kiss to her lips. "That would be alright?"

"Mmhmm," she nodded.

"And then, say for instance, I did this," he said next, inching his hand under the hem of her vest top, tickling her stomach. "Is that okay, too?"

Rose answered him by slipping her hand beneath her top to grab his hand and move it upwards for him, until he was very much cupping a part of Rose that he'd never had the good fortune to cup before.

"Right," he breathed out shakily. "I'll take that as a yes." He moved his mouth back to hers and kissed her slowly, tenderly. Her moan against his lips indicated she'd like to hurry things along a bit, so he kissed her harder.

"What about this?" she whispered huskily, as she started unbuttoning his pyjama top.

"Yeah," he breathed out roughly, moving his mouth down her neck. "Yeah, that's...that's perfectly fine..."

"And this?" she murmured next, trailing her hand down his chest.

He simply rolled her onto her back in response, and hovered over her as he helped her push the pyjama shirt off his shoulders.

"Mmm," she mumbled appreciatively, unable to stop running her fingertips across his bare skin. "I think you should come into my bedroom with nefarious intent more often."

"Perhaps I will," he gasped against her neck as she wriggled beneath him, trying to get out from under the thick duvet that separated them.

"I've thought about this," she confessed, pushing him upright so that she could pull her own top off over her head. "You, arriving at my bedroom door one night to _finally _just..." she trailed off in a moan as the Doctor pressed kisses down her chest.

"Mmmfgh, me too," he replied breathlessly, after which neither of them said very much else for a substantial amount of time.


	42. Back Rubs and Snogs

**_Back Rubs and Snogs – What a Wondrous Combination_**

"Bet I can cheer you up," he teased.

She rolled her eyes and folded her arms, steadfastly staring at the television screen. "Bet you can't."

"I just swallowed an abacus, because it's what's on the inside that counts," he grinned goofily at her.

Rose snorted in amusement but didn't look up. "That's the best you can do?"

"Two snowmen standing in a field. One says to the other, 'Can you smell carrots?'"

Her lips twitched slightly.

"Is that a smile?" he prompted, leaning closer to her, peering at her face.

"Nope," she said stubbornly, her frown returning.

"Please cheer up, Rose," he begged, bumping his shoulder into hers. "I don't like it when you're all grumpy, it makes me sad."

She rolled her eyes and turned her head to face him. "If you don't want to be around me when I'm like this, feel free to go back to the TARDIS."

He narrowed his eyes at her as though she were stupid. "But then I'd miss you," he told her earnestly.

Rose lifted her hand and squeezed his cheek playfully. "Poor Doctor. Listen, I'll come home in a bit, yeah? Just let me have some time on my own to get over this stomach ache."

Before she could move her hand back, he grabbed it and entwined their fingers. He tried not to show his immense delight at her referring to the TARDIS as home, and instead said, "Why won't you let me stay? I can give you a back rub if you want."

She arched an eyebrow. "Seriously?"

"Yes, seriously," he replied. "Lie down on your side."

She hid her smile in the cushion and adjusted her position. The Doctor calmly pulled her legs into his lap and placed his hands under her pyjama top to reach her lower back, proceeding to massage the tender area.

Rose bit down hard on her bottom lip at the feel of his fingers touching her skin. "You know, I'm gonna get you to do this every month, now," she murmured, sighing contentedly.

"Fine by me," he answered quietly.

"You don't mind?"

"Not at all. On the contrary, I..."

"What, Doctor?"

He cleared his throat. "Well, I'm glad I can help ease your pain slightly."

"Thanks," she murmured.

After a few minutes of companionable silence, he slowly slid his left hand around her waist and started lightly stroking her belly, whilst his right hand continued to knead her lower back. Her breath hitched and she winced, hoping he hadn't noticed. "I wish you didn't have to go through this," he whispered.

She smiled. "Me too. Thanks for being sympathetic; most guys aren't, you know."

"Why wouldn't they be sympathetic? I know I wouldn't want to have stomach cramps and back ache for a few days every month. And I don't like seeing you in pain." His thumb gently stroked her hip bone, where it was peeking out of her pyjama bottoms, and she fought back a shiver.

"Well, only another thirty years or so to go," she mumbled sarcastically.

"Why, what happens then?" He sounded alarmed.

"Oh, you really don't wanna know," she giggled slightly.

"Why? Is there more pain?" he asked, his eyes widening. He gripped her hip worriedly and she tried not to focus on that too much.

"It's called the menopause. Human women go through it when they're in their late forties, early fifties-ish. Hot flushes and stuff. But at least afterwards, the dreaded periods stop."

"Ah. Okay." He loosened his grip on her hip and resumed his stroking motion on her lower belly. "Am I right in thinking there is another reason for them stopping – a more...temporary... reason?"

"What, you mean being pregnant? Well, yeah. But then at the end of nine months you have to go through excruciating pain in childbirth, so it's not that much of a consolation."

"You human women have it tough," he remarked.

"Yep," she agreed.

"Women on Gallifrey didn't have to do all this. Well, not in my time, anyway. In the relatively ancient times, yes, but when I was born, weelll, I wasn't born, as such. Process called looming. Much more efficient, if rather detached."

Rose smiled gently, remaining quiet for a few moments. She loved it when he spoke easily like this, about the home he used to keep locked up inside his head, in his hearts. Slowly but surely, he shared tiny little pieces of his life before her, and she gathered those pieces up in her head to form a picture of what his planet was like. She thought perhaps he realised this, for often, in these moments, a shy smile would briefly appear on his face, a quick sparkle in his eyes and a bob of his Adam's apple telling her he was trying, so very hard, to let her in, let her piece together the jigsaw puzzle that was his life.

"Still, at least the excruciating pain at childbirth brings you a little miracle," he commented next, shrugging a shoulder nonchalantly.

She swallowed thickly. "Not like that's going to happen for me, though."

His eyebrows drew together and he was aware that his voice sounded raspy when he spoke, "What, can't you...can't you have them?" He knew how significant having a baby was for humans. The idea that she would be denied that joy hurt him deeply.

She tilted her head and looked over her shoulder at him. "Well yeah, I think I _could, _but..." She looked confused, and a little upset.

"What?" he prompted softly.

She turned her head away from him, blinking quickly. "I made you a promise, remember."

"Yes."

"To stay with you forever."

"Yes."

"I'm not going to break that promise to go swanning off with some other bloke to get married and have babies."

"Didn't say you would," he retorted quietly.

Her forehead scrunched up in confusion at his words. "Then, what...?" She felt him shift her legs slightly so that he could move, settling himself behind her on the sofa, one arm still slung over her waist and his palm flat against her belly.

He propped his head up with his other arm and silently watched her for a few moments. He could tell she was running over his words in her head, and he could also tell that she was nervous, because her chest heaved with each breath she took.

Her knees bent as she tried to distract herself by getting comfy, and she felt the Doctor follow her movement and mould to her shape. She bit the inside of her cheek to stop herself making an undignified noise when he tilted his head forwards and dropped a soft kiss to her shoulder. He moved her hair out of the way and placed another kiss to the back of her neck, and she shivered.

"You didn't mean..." she said hoarsely, and cleared her throat with a quick cough. "You didn't mean me and you."

Her sentence was a statement, not a question, and he stilled abruptly. She sounded so definitive; did she mean it?

"Forget I said anything," he whispered. "You're too young to be thinking about it anyway."

"No, I want to know what you meant, Doctor," she insisted, turning over onto her back.

His eyes flickered between hers, as if searching for something. He gave her a watery smile. "It's nothing, it doesn't matter."

"Yes it bloody well does," she retorted, cupping his face in her hands so that he couldn't look away from her. "What did you mean?"

"Rose, it _doesn't matter," _he countered harshly, sitting up and dislodging her hands. He rubbed at his eyes tiredly. "I don't know what I meant," he muttered. "I don't know what I was thinking."

She folded her arms across her chest defensively. "If this is about you feeling guilty for stealing me away from a normal life, you needn't bother. I don't _want _a normal life, I want _you." _He glanced back at her immediately with a strange sort of look in his eyes, and she stumbled to correct her sentence. "I mean, I want to be with you, travelling...travelling time and space, yeah?"

He stared at her. Then, "Yeah," he exhaled roughly. And he quickly moved forwards and caught her up in a whirlwind of a kiss, his hands cupping her cheeks as he moved his mouth over hers.

She kissed him back, hardly realising what was happening. One of his hands slipped round to the back of her head and one slid down to hold her behind the shoulders, keeping her in an optimum kissing position.

Rose drew back from the kiss first, needing to breathe. She favoured him with her cheeky grin. "Wasn't expecting that," she panted.

He tugged on his ear sheepishly, but kept one arm tightly around her, tucking her against his side as he lay back on the sofa. "Yes. Well. Spontaneity is my middle name," he joked.

"Trust you, though," she whispered teasingly. "Really bad timing, Doctor."

He tilted his head to look at her. "Hmm?"

Rose blushed. "Well, you know..."

"What?"

She gestured to his lower body.

"Oh, don't worry about that. I can wait a few days," he winked at her.

She rolled her eyes and hid her smile in his shoulder. "What's a few days more when you've waited decades, eh?" she teased him.

"Exactly," he replied in earnest, and it made her giggle.

"So...you want to, then?" she murmured, biting her lip.

He arched an eyebrow. "I thought you'd already noticed that."

"Yeah, but there've been loads of times when I thought you might make a move, but you never have. Who's to say that in a few days' time you won't run away from this again?"

He chuckled and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "I promise that if you want to seduce me in a few days' time, I will most definitely let you."

She giggled again then poked him in the side. "What if I want you to seduce _me?"_

The Doctor looked at her and gave her a tender smile. "Then that can be arranged," he replied. He tilted his head to nuzzle her nose. "Would you like me to woo you, Rose Tyler?"

"Weeellll," she answered, drawing out the word like the Doctor was prone to do. "S'pose it might be nice."

"Might?"

"By might I mean most definitely yes."

"Ah." He hid his grin in her hair. "Glad to hear it."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Good."

He stroked her belly softly, and, forgetting her painful cramps thanks to his tender touch and words, she soon fell asleep.


	43. Moving In

**Moving In**

The Doctor abruptly woke up as he sensed Rose moving around. His eyes blinking open slowly, he watched her in silence as she sat up and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. She let out a deep sigh as she felt around for her clothes on the floor, proceeding to get dressed.

He swallowed hard and wondered how to alert her to the fact that he was awake, too. He decided to just murmur her name softly.

"Rose."

She turned around in surprise as she stood up. "Yeah?" she whispered back.

"What're you doing?" he asked sleepily, scrubbing his hand over his eyes to wake himself up a bit more.

Her brow furrowed a little. "I'm just...getting dressed."

"Why?"

"To, you know," she murmured hesitantly, biting her bottom lip for a second before releasing it. "Go back to my room."

He stared at her for a moment, then expelled a short, breathy, "Oh."

Rose tucked a wayward strand of hair behind her ear and shifted awkwardly on her feet. "Doctor?" she prompted.

He cleared his throat and sat up straight to regard her properly. "I just thought that maybe..."

"What?"

"That things had changed," he said, shrugging to feign nonchalance.

Rose looked at him carefully, taking in his expression. "Well I just thought, 'cos things had changed...it might be, I dunno. Awkward," she mumbled in reply.

"Oh. Well, I s'pose..." he trailed off, and glanced away from her eyes for a bit, unwilling to let her see what he was really thinking. "If that's - if that's what you want, that's okay."

He wasn't looking at her now, and Rose knew what that meant. He was sulking. She tried not to smile, needing to keep rational to work out what exactly had happened between them and what exactly it _meant _to both of them. For now, she sat back down on the bed. "Doctor, talk to me."

He looked back at her. "Hmm?"

"What do you, um, want. Now. After...what happened. What do you want to happen next? What do you want from, well, from me?" she asked, stumbling over her words in her haste to get them out.

The Doctor offered her a small smile and reached for her hand. "I had a very good time last night," he began softly. "And I think you did, too?"

She couldn't contain her smile at that, nor could she prevent her cheeks from flushing slightly pink. "I did, yeah."

"I'd sort of been..." he trailed off, unsure.

"What, Doctor?"

"I hope this is okay, Rose, what I'm about to tell you."

She braced herself. "Go for it."

"Well. Thing is, I'd been thinking, now and then, well, pondering on occasion - well, okay, I'll be honest – it was more like imagining in significant detail what the experience of that, with you, would be like." He paused to gauge her reaction.

She stared at him unblinkingly but said nothing, so he promptly continued.

"And I think we successfully demonstrated that, um, together we're...quite the team," he said next, choosing his words with caution.

Rose giggled. "Definitely."

"I'd thought that I'd perceived what such events would be like in every conceivable way, but, well. It surpassed my already wildly high expectations."

"Yeah?" she grinned.

"Yes. And last night, I was under the impression that it might be...let's say, _advantageous,_ you know, to both our lives, really, if we were to partake in such...team-building activities...on a more, um. Regular basis?"

She caught her tongue between her teeth as she smiled in delight. Things most certainly seemed to be going the way she wanted them to – the way she wasn't sure, before, that she ought to hope for. "And when you say 'regular...?'"

"Oh when I say that I mean as often as you would like," he assured her, his eyes twinkling mischievously. "And when I say as often as you'd like, wellll. I haven't researched into the topic enough to ascertain whether or not you err on the insatiable side of the spectrum. Perhaps you'd, um, like to enlighten me?"

Rose raised her eyebrows. "Just so I can clarify what your own personal definition of what, let's say, constitutes as _enough, _I have to ask: will you, by any chance, feel up for doing the very inspiring things we did last night in about -" She paused and glanced at the clock. "- five minutes' time?"

The Doctor beamed at her. "Brilliant," he murmured. "That's a yes, by the way. But – why five minutes in particular?" he asked curiously, leaning towards her.

"I want to go and brush my teeth and stuff," she explained practically, letting go of his hand and jumping up before he could get within kissing distance and smell her morning breath.

"Oh, okay," he nodded reasonably. "That's probably a wise idea; I should go do that too."

Rose nodded dazedly as she watched him get out of bed, utterly naked but for his socks. She'd stipulated that he must keep those on, last night, because he had such a cooler body temperature than her and, what with him being so inclined to spoon up behind her naked, she didn't need the added coolness of freezing cold feet bumping hers in the middle of the night.

In any case, she wasn't staring at his socks right now.

"Rose Tyler," he murmured, sounding pleased.

She immediately glanced back at his face. "Yeah?"

"Do you have any idea at all where my various pieces of clothing got to last night? I can't help but notice that all yours were thrown lovingly on the floor by your side of the bed, yet mine have disappeared altogether."

"My side of the bed, eh? We've established sides of the bed already?" she grinned, completely ignoring his inquiry.

"Yes," he replied, as though it were obvious. Then he revised his decision. "That is, if you're comfortable with your choice. We could switch if you like, I don't mind. Or, you know, we could alternate such things if that would be preferable. It would certainly be less domestic..." he chuckled.

"Doctor, it's fine," she assured him, laughing at his ramble. "I'll go and get sorted, and you...well. You just wander about like that if you can't find your clothes; trust me, no one here minds."

He arched his eyebrow. "Would you believe it, I've never felt the compulsion to run around the TARDIS naked before," he pondered.

"That sounds like a challenge," Rose guessed.

"Well, maybe later it will be," he replied flirtatiously. "It would certainly be very liberating."

"Yeah," she agreed.

"I feel quite liberated now, to be honest."

"Do you?"

"Yes. Maybe you ought to join in," he suggested.

"On the naked thing?"

"Yeah. We could establish a tradition! No-Clothes-Sunday, how does that sound?"

"And what if we have to go out on a No-Clothes-Sunday?" she pointed out.

"Don't be silly, Rose. We always stay in the TARDIS in the vortex on Sundays. I never _land _on _Sundays."_

"Why's that?"

"Well, Sundays anywhere else are boring. On the TARDIS, with you, they're one of my favourite days of the week."

"Really?"

"Yep."

"That's very sweet," she smiled.

"Don't sound so surprised," he laughed.

Rose glanced at the clock again. "Time's ticking away. I'd better go now otherwise the five minutes will be up and you'd have to deal with some serious bed hair and morning breath."

"I don't think I'd even notice," he replied honestly, letting his eyes run over her in the most subtle way he could.

"Even so," she giggled. "I'm gonna go now." She turned to leave the room.

"Will you be naked when you come back?" he called after her.

"If you're very, very lucky," he heard her reply as she walked into the corridor.

The Doctor chuckled and went into his own bathroom, before realising something. He dashed to her room and knocked on the door quickly, promptly entering without hearing a response, as usual. "Rose! I just had the most brilliant idea!" he informed her enthusiastically.

She rolled her eyes, midway through cleaning her teeth. She spat out some toothpaste into the sink and mumbled, "What's that then?" before resuming.

"Well, picture this first scene, right: tomorrow morning, you roll over in bed and look so gorgeously _you_ that I want to kiss you, only you won't let me, because you think you have morning breath or whatever, and so then you get up and have to traipse _all the way _to your room - "

"Which is literally opposite yours - ooh, such a tough, long walk, that," she interrupted, stifling a giggle.

He ignored her. "Leaving the cosy bed and devastatingly handsome bloke that's in it, I may add, and then you have to traipse all the way back - "

"By which time you've lost the desire to kiss me?" she laughed.

"Never!" he assured her fervently. "But my point is, how time-consuming, right? Missing out on kissing time and everything. So! I propose an alternative scene. Imagine, if you will, tomorrow morning. You roll over in bed and look lovely et cetera, and I'm struck by the desire to make lo – kiss you, and so you say, "Won't be a tick!" and pop into my bathroom, in fact, I could join you and things, be doubly efficient, and everything would be fine and brilliant! Therefore, my suggestion is, bring all these personal hygiene-y things of yours to _my _ensuite and voila!"

"Doctor, are you asking me to move in with you?" she teased, turning to lean against the sink so that she could face him instead of looking at his reflection in the mirror. Then, she mock-gasped before exclaiming dramatically, "Such commitment! And after only one night of passion! Oh, the haste!"

"Oi, I'm being serious here. It would save time, it would be - "

"Oh-so-domestic," she grinned. "Something you seem to be quite fond of these past twenty four hours."

"Well if you don't want to," he huffed, shrugging a naked shoulder, thus reminding her of his nakedness.

She smiled in approval as she looked him up and down. "Oh, I want to. What I want to know is, will I then, by default, be permanently moving into your bed?"

He scratched the back of his neck shyly. "Yeah, I mean, if you want."

"What do _you_ want, Doctor?"

He smiled slowly. "I don't sleep all that much, not really, but Rose, I would want to sleep every night next to you if I got to wake up with you as the first thing I see."

"Well when you say something sweet like that, how can I refuse?" she grinned. "Hold out your arms a sec?"

He looked confused but complied. Rose draped a towel across his outstretched arms.

"What are you doing?"

"You're gonna be my moving lorry, stop moving," she mumbled, placing a variety of items on top of the towel. "Don't drop all that, yeah? Keep your arms up and straight so the stuff don't fall off."

The Doctor smiled in amused affection. "Innovative," he commented admiringly.

"Oh, you just wait," she grinned, and grabbing a few more bits herself, she followed him out of her bathroom.

::

"So are we like, in a relationship now?" Rose asked casually.

"Yeah, I'd like to think so," he smiled.

"Then I can say this and you can't get moody."

"Say what?"

"If you get crumbs in this bed again, I'm gonna withhold cuddle-time until you clean it up."

"Rose, when I said yes to the relationship thing, I didn't mean the kind of relationship where you are my _mother _and restrict my _cuddle time."_

"Did your mother do that to you?"

"Well, no, but then again she wasn't the cuddling sort to begin with."

"Oh. Sorry."

"No need to be sorry. But anyway, my point was - "

She interrupted him swiftly. "_My _point was that I have to sleep in this bed too, and if you keep bringing toast into bed you've gotta be more careful about where the crumbs end up, alright? 'Cos right now I think some are stuck to my back."

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry. I'll clean up. Roll over."

"What?"

"Please may you roll over?" he tried again.

She complied, but not before rolling her eyes, too. She instantly felt his fingertips on her back, trailing down her spine lingeringly. Whenever he encountered a lost crumb from his slice of toast, he brushed it from her skin and off of the bed.

"You're not eating them, are you?" she mumbled into the pillow, unable to see what happened to said crumbs.

"No, no, don't worry."

"Right."

"Rose, has anyone ever told you that you have a really beautiful back?"

"Um, nope, don't think so," she giggled.

"Well, you do," he replied softly, leaning forwards to press a kiss to it. Followed by several more kisses, and a distinct murmur of _"Rose," _against her skin, making her shiver. "Fancy having a little holiday right here in the TARDIS? A break from traversing the universe?"

"Sounds nice," she murmured, gasping when he pressed a kiss to her lower back.

"Brilliant," he whispered, with a smile.

By the time they left the vortex, two very un-boring Sundays had past...


	44. Midnight Tea

**Midnight Tea**

"Hey," Rose murmured, as she stepped into the TARDIS kitchen.

The Doctor lifted his eyes from his mug and greeted her with a warm smile. "Can't sleep?" he asked softly.

"Nope," she affirmed, rubbing her eyes. "I'm tired but I just can't seem to drop off. What are you doing?"

"Just thinking."

"Can I come and think with you?"

"Be my guest," he chuckled, gesturing at the seat opposite him.

When Rose sat down he offered her a sip of his tea, which she took gratefully. Then she pulled a face. "Bleh. I always forget that you have _way _too much sugar in your tea," she informed him.

He took his mug away from her. "I have a perfectly reasonable four sugars," he corrected primly, but his eyes sparkled with mirth in response to her teasing.

"Of course you do," she replied, rolling her eyes. "So, what were you thinking about?"

"Ooh, lots of things. This and that."

"What _specifically _were you thinking about?"

"Oi, nosy," he reprimanded teasingly. "Might be personal."

She arched an eyebrow. "Go on, tell me. I'm bored."

He heaved a put-upon sigh. "I might've been thinking about you, a little bit."

"Oh yeah?" she grinned.

"Mmm."

"What about me?"

"Oh just…things." He fixed his gaze on her steadily. "Rose, earlier today you did something remarkable."

Rose laughed uncertainly. "I did?"

"Yep," he answered, popping the 'p.' "By telling that girl – Pamela - to go for what she wanted. To live her life for herself and not for anyone else. To choose to spend her life with the person who made her happy, not someone her parents and position in society dictated she should. It was inspiring, really, the way you spoke to her."

"Oh. Well, thanks."

"You're welcome."

"So that's what you were thinking about?"

"Yes." He paused, and swallowed hard. "Well, also…"

"What?"

"What if you do that, too?"

"What's that?"

"Meet someone and – and just, you know. Run away with them, like Pamela did." Rose burst out laughing, and the Doctor shifted in his seat uncomfortably. "_What? _Why are you laughing?"

"Doctor, I already did do that, in case you didn't notice. Which was why I could tell Pamela, from experience, that she wouldn't regret it."

His eyes widened. "Oh." His brow furrowed thoughtfully. "But the point still stands, because it could happen again, and - "

"What, you seriously think some other bloke could give me a better offer than all of this?" Rose giggled, gesturing around them to indicate the TARDIS.

He cleared his throat sharply and looked solemn.

Rose stopped giggling. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"'All of this,' as you put it, can only go so far, in terms of giving you – let's say, fulfilment. In life. Your life. I mean, 'all of this' is all very fine and dandy for _now, _but what if one day you decide that it isn't enough, hmm? The thing is, Rose - "

"Alright, alright, that's enough," she interrupted him, standing up. He looked up at her in confusion as she walked around the table and nudged his thigh with her knee. "Budge up."

"What?"

She sighed heavily and plonked herself down on his lap, sitting sideways to face him. "When are you gonna get it into your head that it's not my deluded youthful self making rash decisions when I say that I'm staying put with you, but actually a perfectly rational declaration of fact?"

He opened and closed his mouth a few times but didn't reply for a long moment.

"Doctor, you said once, to me, 'you can spend the rest of your life with me.' I'm holding you to that, so there. Unless, of course, you were lying just to placate me -"

"No, Rose, I – I meant it. I also meant what I said _after _that, remember?"

"I remember. But Doctor, that doesn't matter - "

"I beg to differ," he scoffed.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and looked right into his eyes. "Shh. The important thing is that you make the most of me while I'm still here," she smiled.

He sighed. "Yeah."

"You won't leave me like you left some of the others, like Sarah Jane?"

He shook his head gently from side to side.

"You've learnt from past mistakes, then?" she smiled encouragingly.

"Yes." He paused, his hand seeking hers, pulling it from around his neck so that he could entwine their fingers tightly. "And also – well." He swallowed and met her eyes. "I can't let you go, and you know why. You must know why – I think, I think you maybe, perhaps, possibly…feel the same."

Her smile grew wider. "Yeah?"

"Yeah," he smiled back.

They stared at one another for a few moments, quiet and smiling. Then Rose breached the gap between them, slowly tilting her head forwards so that her lips could brush his. She pulled back almost immediately and whispered, "Can we do this?"

The Doctor had closed his eyes when she kissed him, and upon her question he leisurely opened them. His free hand reached up between them to cup her cheek, his thumb stroking tenderly at her soft, make-up free skin. "I want to," he whispered back, which may or may not have been an appropriate answer; neither of them cared. She simply took his response as approval and kissed him again, applying a bit more pressure; his lips yielded to hers and parted slightly as he started to reciprocate.

Rose slid a hand into his hair, tugging gently at the strands, whilst his went to the back of her neck. After a couple of minutes, as she panted for breath, he moved his mouth from hers to the column of her throat. It quite surprised him, therefore, when she suddenly stood up, moving away from him.

"What's, what's wrong?" he mumbled, his voice hoarse.

She laughed and grabbed his hand again, smiling reassuringly. "It's okay, I just…I thought maybe we could go for a walk."

"A _walk?" _he retorted, confused. A walk was the last thing he had in mind to do. "A walk _where?"_

"Oh, I dunno," she replied, looking mischievous. "Just down the TARDIS corridor a bit."

He frowned at her suspiciously. "You're up to something."

"Obviously," she replied, rolling her eyes as she hoisted him up and started leading him out of the room. "Come on."

"And where exactly is the destination of this random walk?" he asked curiously, but he was subsequently shocked into silence when she turned around and pinned him to the wall, her mouth passionately returning to his. In an instant his arms where around her, pulling her tightly against him, his hands trailing up and down her back before settling on her bum.

But within moments she was pulling away again, leaving him looking rather dazed and confused, "Doctor," she murmured.

"Yeah?" he replied, half-smiling at the mischievous expression on her face.

"Race you to my room." With that, she took off, running down the corridor.

"Oh, now that's – that's - " he spluttered. The sound of her laughter drifting down the passageway made him grin. "Rose Tyler," he whispered to himself, before following the sound of her singing _We Are The Champions. _


	45. Pros and Cons

_**Pros and Cons**_

Rose noticed that his door was open and the light was on. She crept down the corridor and took a quick peek into the Doctor's bedroom. She grinned at the sight of him; he was in his pyjamas, sitting upright against his pillows, tucked up in his duvet, his glasses on but his eyes closed as a book lay forgotten on his lap. As she shifted slightly to reach his light switch, planning on turning it off and leaving him to his sleep, the floor creaked slightly and she winced. His eyes blinked slowly open and as they landed on Rose's sheepish expression he beamed. "Rose! You're back!"

She laughed and stepped properly into his room. "Yeah, I am. Miss me?"

"Nah," he grinned, wrinkling his nose up. "Nice to get a bit of peace and quiet really."

Rose rolled her eyes. "Watch it," she cautioned.

"Come here," he said softly.

She arched an eyebrow but crossed the room, sitting on the edge of his bed, beside him.

"What time is it?"

"Three."

"Morning or afternoon?"

"Can't your Time Lord-y senses tell?" she laughed.

"Humour me."

"Morning. I couldn't sleep."

"Ah. Was that because _you _missed _me?"_

"Nope. Just the TARDIS and her soothing hum," she smiled.

"Won't your mum wonder where you are, come morning?"

"I left a note telling her I'd be back for breakfast, and that I'd bring you with me."

"Oh really?" he smirked. "And what are you gonna do to persuade me to comply with your plan?"

Rose grinned wickedly. "Where's your sonic screwdriver?"

He raised his eyebrows, feigning surprise. "Now there's a euphemism."

"Shut up," she murmured affectionately, swatting his arm. "Where is it?"

"Beside drawer." She reached for it and he quickly grabbed her wrist. "Ah - no, wait, I'll get that for you."

Rose snorted in amusement as he let go of her hand to retrieve the sonic himself. "What? Scared I'm gonna find your Time Lord porn stash?"

"Don't be ridiculous," he said haughtily, then met her eyes to cheekily add, "My imagination is far too good to require such things."

Rose's mouth dropped open and he burst out laughing. She scowled at him and grabbed the sonic screwdriver. After fiddling for a moment, she pointed it to the radio on his chest of drawers and looked back at the speechless Doctor with a triumphant grin as David Rose's musical composition _The Stripper _started blaring out.

"How on Earth did you do _that?_" he asked. He certainly did not own such music, nor did he have a setting on the sonic that could perform such a trick. "I know it's nothing _I've _taught you!"

She shrugged elusively and jumped up. "Jack adjusted one of the settings as a prank, and told me about it," she replied, giving him a tongue-twixt-teeth smile. "He also told me about the time he spent in a cabaret act." Jokingly, she pretended to undo the buttons on her top, then shook her chest in an exaggerated manner and did a bit of a twirl to the music, giggling at the way the Doctor couldn't stop:

a) laughing, and

b) staring.

Abruptly, he used the sonic to turn off the music with one hand whilst his other grabbed Rose's leg, yanking her forwards. Still in hysterics, she collapsed on the bed and squealed as the Doctor tickled her sides.

She asked for mercy but he refused, so she tackled him back, and they fought playfully as they rolled amidst the duvet. The tickling ended without a winner, however; or perhaps without a loser.

Hovering over her, hands either side of her head, knees either side of her legs; so close that their breaths were mingling as their chests heaved in air.

Their smiles faded as they stared into corresponding dark eyes.

"It's late." She sat up straight, causing him to rear back to allow her room, breaking the spell. "We should sleep."

The Doctor watched her curiously as he settled back against the pillows, but said nothing.

Rose looked down at him with a sigh. "Ask me, then," she murmured.

"Ask you what?" he replied softly, reaching his hand forwards to stroke down her back.

"To sleep here."

"In my bed." It wasn't quite a question.

"Yes." She met his gaze steadily, even as she shivered from his touch. "In your bed."

"That's what you want?"

"Yeah. You?"

His lips twitched. "Weelll…" She arched an eyebrow and he smiled properly – that genuine, soft smile that he often gave to her. "Okay, yes. So I'll ask. Rose Tyler. Would you like to stay here tonight?"

"I would," she smiled back. Standing up and walking a few steps forward, she continued, "I'll just get my pyjamas - "

"Oh, those won't be necessary," he murmured, before he could help himself.

She stopped walking, eyes wide as she turned her head to regard him.

"I mean, that is to say, pyjamas aren't a prerequisite for sleeping in my bed. Or any bed. What I mean is, there are many alternatives, really, take the Ashigsos on the planet Aandoppopos, they wear - "

By now he was blushing quite profusely, and Rose took pity on him, interrupting with a simple, "Okay."

He exhaled slowly in relief and observed her intently as she returned to stand beside his bed. Her hand went to her belt, and she undid it quickly before moving to unbutton and unzip her jeans.

"You could avert your eyes, you know, and be a gentleman," she teased, as she pushed her jeans to the floor.

"When have I ever given you the impression that I would be gentlemanly?" he teased right back. She threw her jeans at him and he laughed, before tossing them over the other side of the bed. She climbed in, still wearing her top and underwear, snuggling under the duvet and mumbling for him to shift over to give her more room.

They lay there nose to nose for a few moments, practically sharing the same pillow.

"Night then," she murmured.

"Yeah. Night night."

Rose turned over and closed her eyes, her back to him.

Silence. Then -

"Rose?"

She opened them again. "Mmm?"

"May I…do this?" he asked softly, resting his arm around her waist as he scooted closer.

She smiled and pressed against him more fully, placing her hand over the one positioned near her stomach. "Yeah."

"Thanks. Also," he added. "Is it okay if I…" he trailed off as his free hand swept her hair from the back of her neck. He tilted his head and placed a feather-like kiss to the sensitive skin there.

"That's completely okay, yeah," she breathed out roughly.

His grip around her tightened for a moment. "Good," he whispered.

And then –

Nothing.

Rose huffed in frustration and turned onto her back. "What, that's it?" she asked sceptically, raising her eyebrows.

The Doctor shrugged a shoulder. "You like cuddling, don't you?"

She rolled on top of him. "Yeah. I do. I like other things as well."

His expression turned mischievous. "Do you now."

"Yes," she replied impatiently.

"Thought you were tired."

"What?"

"Well, you were the one who wanted to go to sleep."

"Then why didn't I turn the light off before getting into bed?"

"Because I can do that with the sonic screwdriver."

Rose resisted the urge to roll her eyes, and instead settled her head on his chest with a heavy sigh.

"I can hear your hearts beating," she muttered, after a minute or so of quiet.

"Well I should hope so," he retorted.

"No, but I mean – they're beating really fast. Like…_really _fast. You okay?" She raised her head to look at him.

"Very okay, thanks," he replied tightly.

"What is it?" she asked, her brow furrowing in concern.

"Rose."

"What?"

"You're lying on top of me."

"Well, yeah. You're comfy."

"Comfy," he stated blankly.

"_Yes."_

"Right." His arm came up around her and his fingers slid through her hair, playing gently with the strands. "I do - " he started, then broke off abruptly.

"You do what?" she mumbled into his chest.

He swallowed hard. "I do want to – um. Well. It's – I…"

Rose giggled.

"What?" he asked, affronted.

"Doctor, just say what you want to say."

He huffed and was quiet for a few moments. Then, "I've been compiling a list of pros and cons. Only now I've forgotten all of them. Well, apart from one 'pro.' Namely, the one that details you on top of me. So…yeah. Rose. Help me."

"Help you remember the pros and cons?"

"Yes."

"Of what?"

"You know what," he sighed impatiently.

Rose smirked but decided to placate him. "Okay. Pro number one: it's fun."

"I'd imagine so, yes."

"Pro number two: it would release the tension."

"Definitely."

"Pro number three: it doesn't have to mean anything if you don't want it to."

"Ah."

"Pro number four: it probably_ will_ mean something and yeah, that might be scary, but it'll also make it _better."_

"Mmm."

"Now for a few cons. Con number one: we might not be _sexually compatible."_

"Well I doubt _that _is true," he snorted in amusement, trailing his free hand down her back.

She shivered and continued, "Con number two: it might ruin our friendship."

"Can't let that happen," he replied softly. "Our friendship means everything to me."

She bit her lip at that revelation, warmth bubbling up inside her chest. Then she shook herself out of it. "Con number three: you might be rubbish - "

"Oi!"

Rose laughed, and he joined in after a moment. Once their giggles had faded out, however, a sense of calm swept over them in the silence. Then, very quietly, Rose said, "I can't think of any other cons."

"Pretty sure my lists for both pros and cons were longer. But I like yours better," he whispered. "I especially like the fact that your pros outweighed the cons considerably."

"Yeah," she exhaled roughly, then lifted her head from his chest to look him in the eye. "So what happens now?"

He met her gaze steadily but said nothing. His hand cupped her jaw and he tilted his head up towards her. "I'd like to kiss you," he murmured.

"I'd like that too," she smiled.

He returned her grin then met her lips with his.

* * *

A few hours later, and the Doctor was asleep again. Rose grinned, and - careful not to wake him - removed her arm from around his waist under the duvet, reaching to slowly and quietly pull open his bedside drawer. She leant across as far as she could without rousing him from his doze, and peeked inside.

A frown adorned her features in confusion as she lifted out the scrapbook she'd made him for Christmas. Why would he be secretive about keeping that in there? It only held photos and ticket stubs and other memorabilia from their travels together. But when she brought it closer to her, she realised that it wasn't the same one that she'd given him.

Her eyes widened and a soft smile graced her lips, recognising that he'd been compiling one for her in return. It was her birthday next week; she reckoned this was her present. Swallowing the absurd lump in her throat that his thoughtfulness had created, she placed the book back in his drawer and closed it, before returning her arm to its position around his waist. Then, contentedly, she joined him in sleep.


	46. Stages and Sunglasses

_Stages and Sunglasses_

"Doctor, do you know where I put my sunglasses?" Rose asked him, as she came into the room. She surveyed her surroundings, hoping to spot her misplaced item.

"Hmm?" he replied distractedly, looking up from his book. She arched an eyebrow at him, evidently unimpressed that he'd ignored her entrance and question. His own eyes widened at her expression and, closing the book and giving her his full attention, he hastened to add, "Sorry darling, what did you say?"

The rare incidence of a term of endearment coming out of his mouth caught Rose unawares, and she began giggling instantly.

"What's the joke?" the Doctor smiled.

"Nothing, nothing." She tried to smother her giggles. She couldn't.

The Doctor narrowed his eyes. "What is it? What have I done?" He self-consciously ran a hand through his hair as though something were wrong with it.

"It's nothing," she repeated.

"Well it must be something."

"It's just – well, over the last couple of weeks I've been noticing a change in you, and I couldn't pinpoint what exactly it was – but now I've realised," she explained, then let out a happy sigh.

"A change?" he echoed. "Nothing's changed – what do you mean?"

"We've reached the next stage," she informed him wisely.

"Stage of what?"

Rose rolled her eyes. "Our relationship."

He furrowed his brow in confusion, but before he could voice his question, she interrupted with –

"Aha! See! If I'd said that a month ago you would've looked terrified!"

"I'm just confused – wait!" His eyes grew wide. "_Should _I be terrified?"

"No!" she laughed. "No, look, the thing is, you're not unsure anymore."

"Unsure?"

"About us."

"Of course I'm not unsure about us. What does that even mean?"

"Listen, it's taken time, right, for you to be completely certain that this – what we're doing, what we are – was the right thing to do. But recently you've been acting so…carefree. Happy."

"I am happy," he assured her, standing up.

"I know. It's…I'm glad."

He stepped towards her, reaching out to grab both of her hands in his. "But I've always been happy when I'm with you. Well, maybe not _always, _because sometimes we argue or I'm an idiot and upset you and that doesn't make me happy at all. But generally speaking, every day since I've known you the amount of happiness in my life has risen exponentially."

"That's a lovely thing to say," she smiled softly.

"But I don't understand what _you_ were trying to say - "

She sighed. "You've accepted us as _fact_. Assimilated this new relationship as part of your everyday life. Acclimatised to it. Yeah?"

"Rose - "

"It's easier now, don't you think?"

"What's easier?"

"Oh, you can be so dense sometimes. _Us. _Us being an _us. _We were rock solid, more or less, before we got together romantically, but once we did get together – well, we were nervous about it. And that's natural. But now we've – _you've – _got used to it. We're just how we were before – best friends."

"Except for the fact that we're…lovers, now," he said slowly, thumbs stroking the back of her hands, trying to comprehend her meaning.

"Yeah, exactly," she beamed.

"So what you're saying is: we were best friends; then we were new lovers; now we are best friends who happen to also be lovers?"

"Or lovers who happen to also be best friends – not sure, probably same difference. But yeah."

"Oh, okay," he nodded, starting to grin. "Yeah, I see the logic in that. But hold on – are you saying it took longer for _me _to acclimatise? Because that's what it seems like you are implying." He sounded offended by this implication.

"Doctor, it was only rational that it would take you longer."

"And why is that?" he frowned.

Rose raised her eyebrows. "Seriously? What, you think being nine centuries old, a Time Lord and having a ton of emotional baggage didn't limit your capacity to accept that we could have a romantic relationship?"

He tilted his head to the side, contemplating her words. "Well, when you put it like that…" he acknowledged. Then he grinned mischievously and released her hands to wrap his arms around her waist. "I've wanted to call you that for ages, you know."

"Call me what?" she asked, confused.

"Darling," he replied, leaning forwards to affectionately bump his nose with hers.

"Really?" she laughed, and realised he'd worked out what had set off her laughter earlier. "Why?"

He shrugged. "Dunno. Just wanted to. Felt like it could be a thing."

"A thing?"

"A thing I say now. To you. Just you." He paused, reflecting on the ramifications of such a thing. Then he added, "Not in public, and _especially _not in front of your mother. But when we're on our own, at home in the TARDIS on one of our days off, like today, then…well. It feels…nice." He searched her eyes. She was looking at him oddly. Which, honestly, was nothing new. "Is that okay?"

"I'll never understand you," she murmured, her mouth curving into a grin.

He squeezed her middle, hugging her to him more tightly. "On the contrary, Rose Tyler, you understand me better than anyone ever has." He paused again, then asked, tentatively, "So is it okay?"

"It's gonna take some getting used to," she laughed. "Never expected you to be all lovey-dovey like that."

He frowned. "That's not 'lovey-dovey,' don't make me sound all – all – _sentimental."_

Rose shook her head in despair. "What am I to do with you, hmm? I'll never know what measure of domestic is too much; never know whether you're being romantic or just oblivious; never know - "

He abruptly picked her up, swinging her into his arms, bridal-style. "Right then," he interrupted her with a growl. She giggled in surprise and wrapped her arms around his neck to hold on as he carried her out of the room and down the corridor. "If you don't want me to call you that now and again, then I'll withdraw any further attempts at acting like a normal couple," he teased, his eyes twinkling.

"Yeah, looks like it," she scoffed, gesturing at the very couple-y way he was taking her to their bedroom.

"What, this? Oh, this isn't romantic. No. This is simply me manoeuvring you to somewhere I can keep an eye on you. Let you go and you might wander off, and that won't do."

"Won't it?" she laughed again.

"Nope!" His loving gaze and a quirk of his lips would tell her, if she didn't already know, that he was joking – that he would never force her to be somewhere she didn't want to be. It just so happened that there, in his arms, was exactly the one place she'd like to be at that moment. Aside from in their bed.

"So, wait, if I _do _let you call me 'darling' - " She pulled a face as she said the word in question and he scowled playfully at her. " - now and then, as though I'm fifty two years old or something, does that mean that I get to call you something other than Doctor?"

He sniffed haughtily, as though he would straighten his tie if he had a spare hand. "Well, already you sometimes you call me 'God,' so…"

She rolled her eyes. "In no way do I call you that. Just because I happen to _say _that, in your presence, does not mean I am _addressing _you in any way."

He smirked, shouldering open their bedroom door. "No, you're usually _un_dressing m- "

"If you utter one more bad pun, I'll ban you from this room forever."

"Now _that's _a feeble threat," he grinned, then dropped her unceremoniously on the bed.

"You know, we only just got up, like, two hours ago," she said, fixing him with her teasing gaze. "I'm pretty sure it's not time for bed, yet."

"Well, I'd have to inform you that you are mistaken, Miss Tyler," he told her firmly, as he took off his jacket.

"I s'pose you're right…time _is _relative, after all," she smirked.

"Exactly," he grinned, then pounced onto the bed with her. She squealed in surprise and he grabbed her round the waist, rolling onto his back and thus pulling her atop him. "Hello."

She lifted her eyebrows. "Hello yourself."

_::- Sometime later-::_

She sighed deeply.

"What's wrong?" he asked in concern, his brows drawing together anxiously.

"Still didn't find my sunglasses," she bemoaned softly.

"Oh! Were those what you were looking for? I know where they are."

"You do?" she asked hopefully.

"Yep! Pretty sure they were discarded into a bush in Emperor Davenesko Hex's royal gardens." She groaned. "Remember that night?" he continued eagerly. "When we indulged in a little al fresco, ahem, dining?"

"Yeah," she replied, unable to refrain from smiling at the memory. "I just wish I hadn't left my sunglasses there – I liked those ones."

"We could go back and look for them," he offered. She stared at him. He looked at her blankly. "What?"

"Sex always makes you daft."

"What?"

"Doctor, we were banished, remember?"

He grinned rather proudly. "Oh yeah." Then he pointed at her. "Your fault!"

"Hey, why just my fault?" she protested.

"You were the one who announced what we were doing to all and sundry by – well, by _vocalising _your, uh, enjoyment."

"Well _you _were the one who said that no one would be walking 'round the gardens at that time of night!"

"Well how was I to know that Tuesdays are the Royal Tour days, hmm?" he retorted.

She tutted at him and rolled onto her side, her back to him.

He panicked briefly, worried if she was a bit upset. "Rose? Look, you're right. I at least ought to take a percentage of the blame. I'm sorry we got ourselves banished and therefore can't ever retrieve your lovely sunglasses." He perched his chin on her shoulder, his arm curving around her waist. "Happy?"

Rose couldn't hold her giggles in any longer and they burst free joyously. He smiled in relief, kissed her shoulder, then slid his hand down to her thigh.

"Fancy staying in bed all day today?" he asked her quietly, scooting closer to spoon up behind her properly.

"Mmm, I'd like that," she agreed contentedly. So they did.


	47. Quiet Night In

A/N: Dedicated to hogwartsharpist's for their review on the last chapter ;) x

_**Quiet Night In**_

::

"Fancy a quiet night in?" he asked her softly, stroking her hair back from her face in a soothing motion.

"Mmm," she smiled in contentment, shifting closer to him on the sofa. "Just to warn you though, I'm really tired, so no funny business."

"Wouldn't dream of it," he grinned.

She smirked knowingly. "No?"

"Well, I don't want you to think that the sex is all I value you for," he responded cheekily.

Rose laughed and snuggled into his arms. "Ah, so you also value me for my cuddling abilities, then, eh?"

"Oh, Rose Tyler," he murmured reverently. "Your cuddling abilities surpass anyone else's. No one in the entire _universe _can cuddle as well as you."

She arched an eyebrow. "Done extensive research into it, have you?"

"Well, no, course not. I just know these things."

"Really."

"Yes! Most knowledgeable being in the cosmos, I am."

"Only 'cos you're the oldest," she grinned, glancing up at him mischievously.

"Oh, you are hurting my feelings, now," he told her, his expression one of feigned sorrow.

Rose executed a well-placed tickle beneath his ribs and his melodramatic look crumbled instantly as he giggled.

"Don't you dare," he laughed, catching her hand in his and entwining their fingers.

She beamed, then rested her head against his chest. Yawning loudly, she murmured, "Mind if I sleep?"

"Course not," he replied, pressing a kiss to her temple. "Get some rest. You deserve it after saving the world again today, my dear."

"You gonna doze off too? 'Cos I'd quite like to fall asleep with you here on the sofa, nice and toasty in front of the library fire, but I don't want you to get so bored staying awake all night that you wander off…" she rambled sleepily.

He was already closing his eyes, instantly agreeing with her suggestion as a wave of tiredness overcame him. "Yeah, I'll catch up on a bit of sleep too. Don't worry. I know you like waking up with me," he said, this time dropping a kiss to the top of her head and burying his smile in her hair.

"Mmm, love you," she murmured, as she drifted off into a much-needed slumber.

He sighed happily and whispered back, "And I love you," even though she'd already succumbed to sleep. He wasn't really sure whether she'd _ever _heard him say it, as he was fairly certain that every time he did feel courageous enough to utter those monumental words, she was either distracted – you know, saving the universe and things - or listening to loud music, like that time in the pub on Sumbardo – oh, and that Beatles concert the other day, when she'd asked him three times to repeat what he'd said, prompting him to give up on his vocal declaration and simply snog her instead. Or, of course, as in this case and a thousand others, he told her when she was already asleep. So…yeah. He really should get around to telling her properly.

Mind you, every glance they shared – whether brief or extensive; angry or kind; sad or happy; loving or lustful – surely proved that she knew. Oh, she knew. How could she not? They were the Doctor and Rose Tyler, the stuff of legends, love personified and epitomised. No one they'd met on their travels, not to mention Jackie Tyler, could miss it. So of course she knew.

And with those less Time Lord-y and really rather human thoughts - splendidly sentimental as they were - in his head, the Doctor fell asleep with his arms around Rose Tyler, on a battered old sofa, in front of the fire in the library: thoroughly and unashamedly domestic.

Well. Domestic except for the fact that said library was in a time machine and they'd just got back from defeating a league of Horinicans hell-bent on destroying the planet Augustus. So there was that.


End file.
